Abstract
Art museums today, influenced by the tenets of the new museology, have increasingly sought to transform themselves from 'site(s) of worship and awe to one(s) of discourse and critical reflection'. This has resulted in a greater awareness of audiences and their engagement with works on display. Phenomena such as iMoMA, however, pose interesting challenges to art institutions such as New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as they seek to open the space of the museum to diverse audiences. iMoma, or Photomoma, is a collaborative virtual museum which is neither part of, nor officially sanctioned by, MoMA, yet it is dedicated to displaying works from this seminal art institution. The site is filled with visitors' photos taken of works displayed at the physical museum. Given that MoMA already displays its collection online, this would appear to be a strange decision, so what does iMoMA achieve, and should museums embrace or discourage such practices? The online gallery's creators claim that the site allows participants to present their own and others' interactions with works on display. In addition, the associated blog provides a forum for viewers to critically reflect on the relationship of their photos with the original. This paper explores some of the implications of this virtual gallery and considers how 'new' technologies have enabled different kinds of viewing experiences and engagement with works of art in museums today.I will argue that these changes are not entirely new, but extend Benjamin's and Berger's notions that reproduction technologies have altered the way that we view an original work of art. The paper will consider some of the benefits and disadvantages of these interactions and their implications for the spectator, the artwork and the museum.