Att analysera utställningen som ett multimodalt medium

Abstract

In this article the author describes how she chose to analyze the exhibition Trafficking, at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, as a multimodal medium. Meaning-making is understood through Gunther Kress & Theo van Leeuwen's book Multimodal Discourse, and the author discusses how different aspects of modes like light, sound and materials contribute to the overarching message of the exhibition. She also attempts to deduce the origins of her interpretations through Kress' and van Leeuwen's terms provenance and experiential meaning potential, i.e. that the interpretation of a specific meaning originates either in recognizing the sign from another time, place or sphere, or from personal experience. In either case the sign conveys meaning and values that are connoted with that time, place, sphere or experience. The exhibition is characterized by dim lights and uncanny sounds, which are aspects that emphasize the horrifying theme of the exhibition, and make sure that the message is never belittled.