Curating for Change: A Critical Analysis of Emotional Activation through Exhibition Design

This thesis explores how the exhibition Two Sides of the Same Coin fulfils the potential of activating its audience emotionally through curatorial narrative and spatial design, and how this relates to its activist intent. Drawing on Stephen Duncombe’s theory that emotional impact is a necessary precondition for generating social change, the research examines whether the exhibition succeeds in producing affective engagement alongside its political message. The analysis is grounded in affective curatorship and supported by the work of Andrea Witcomb, Cynthia Torp, Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, et al., and Zeynep Damgacioglu. Through close examination of narrative tone, wall labels, spatial design, and visual elements, the thesis argues that while the exhibition communicates a compelling activist vision, its emotional impact is primarily cognitively induced and constrained by an authoritative curatorial tone and the use of the white cube model. These limitations reduce the potential for...Show moreThis thesis explores how the exhibition Two Sides of the Same Coin fulfils the potential of activating its audience emotionally through curatorial narrative and spatial design, and how this relates to its activist intent. Drawing on Stephen Duncombe’s theory that emotional impact is a necessary precondition for generating social change, the research examines whether the exhibition succeeds in producing affective engagement alongside its political message. The analysis is grounded in affective curatorship and supported by the work of Andrea Witcomb, Cynthia Torp, Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, et al., and Zeynep Damgacioglu. Through close examination of narrative tone, wall labels, spatial design, and visual elements, the thesis argues that while the exhibition communicates a compelling activist vision, its emotional impact is primarily cognitively induced and constrained by an authoritative curatorial tone and the use of the white cube model. These limitations reduce the potential for emotional resonance and participatory meaning-making, which are crucial for creating a transformative exhibition.Show less

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Curating for Change: A Critical Analysis of Emotional Activation through Exhibition Design