Stages of the evolution of exhibition space design: from object-based display to experience-oriented and digital models
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30857/2617-0272.2026.3.5Keywords:
design, museum, innovation, digital technologies, cultural space, inclusivity, sustainabilityAbstract
The relevance of the study is driven by the transition of exhibition space from a model of object demonstration to the organisation of an integral visitor experience, in which spatial, communicative, digital, inclusive, and environmental factors interact. The aim of the work is to systematise the stages of the evolution of exhibition space design and to determine the design implications of this evolution for contemporary museum, cultural, and commercial practice. The study is based on a set of methodological approaches: systemic analysis, historical-typological, analytical, comparative, and cultural methods. The methodology relies on a two-step algorithm: at the first stage, using content analysis, key evolutionary markers were identified (addressee, publicity, display model, route logic, interpretation, mediation, visitor participation); at the second stage, a chronological grouping of phases was carried out. A comprehensive staging of the evolution of exhibition space design is substantiated, covering six consecutive phases – from the private-collecting and public-museum stages to the industrial-event, professionalised, narrative-human-centred, and contemporary digital-hybrid, inclusive, and sustainable environments. Key regularities were identified: a gradual shift of the design centre from the exhibit to the visitor interaction system, the cumulative overlapping of previous models, and the expansion of the boundaries of the design object. The practical value lies in the development of a comprehensive analytical model that integrates historical types of exhibition environments with current design requirements, which can be used for curatorial planning, analysis, evaluation, and the design of contemporary exhibition environments.
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