The Exhibiting Dilemma

A continuing dilemma of exhibition design is how to convey coherent content through a medium that is engaged in a unique and different way by each individual exhibition viewer. This dilemma is exacerbated by a lack of critical study of the exhibition design process and the lack of a rich critical literature of exhibition critiques, although in recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the special nature of the medium of exhibitions. David Dernie’s Exhibition Design is a thoughtful addition to the critical literature of exhibition design in which he attempts to articulate several approaches to the use of exhibition space: “narrative space,” “performative space,” and “simulated experience.” His approaches are of special interest to designers of science and technology exhibitions. Dernie’s critical framework and his use of a large number of case studies provide a provocative addition to the literature of exhibition design.