Immersive exhibitions in the beginning of the 21st century: understanding theory and practice.

This research investigates the popularity of immersive exhibition environments in the exhibitions of the 21st century. Behind the popularity of immersive exhibitions there are contradictions between theoretical frameworks applicable to immersion and exhibition design practice which were not investigated before but promise to shed light on to the foundations of designing immersive exhibitions. Laying on the intersection of exhibition design, scenography, environmental psychology, this research analyses what means immersion in exhibition design. The aims of this research project were to 1). understand what theories can be applied to enhance immersion through exhibition design, 2). examine how theories can be integrated into design practice, 3). identify what exhibition designers consider immersive exhibition environments in order to document opinions of those who lead the field. The findings indicated that applicable to immersion theories are not consciously applied in practice by exhibition designers, however, the effects which designers aim for in their final designers in some ways reflect the concept of liminality.