Visual Attention in Art Galleries

Art galleries are a very unique type of space: white, empty walls and the art itself are almost the only visual stimuli around. In such a situation, their spatial layout (the spatial arrangement of artworks and rooms) is what really steers the visitors’ attention.

In my PhD I demonstrated that the layout of space can have a larger impact on visitor’s attention than the differences between individual artworks. I also showed that although the layout can change the strategy with which visitors attend to artworks, cumulative time spent on attending to each picture is unaffected by its location. Methodologically, the project combined Mobile Eye-Tracking with the architectural theory of Space Syntax.

In more recent work 'glancing away' from artworks, I analyse the critical role that such unfocused gaze has for our experience of art galleries, and buildings in general.

Key publications:

• "A stimulating museum space: ‘Glancing away' and engaging working memory in-between exhibits"
• “How the Visitors’ Cognitive Engagement Is Driven (but Not Dictated) by the Visibility and Co-visibility of Art Exhibits”
• “Walk, Look, Remember: The influence of the gallery’s spatial layout on human memory for an art exhibition”