Abstract
Eileen Gray is widely regarded as a pioneer of twentieth century interior and furniture design. An exhibition of her work is on display in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin. This research aims to shed light on the perceptions and experiences of visitors to the museum. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to provide insights into the quality and standard of the museum storytelling in order to generate recommendations for the enhancement of the current visitor experience. A pragmatic approach is taken, utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods of surveys and participant observation. The findings reveal that over sixty per cent of survey respondents were unfamiliar with Gray prior to their visit. Meanwhile, the story portrayed by the museum is deemed to be easy to follow by over eighty per cent of respondents. Exhibits which stood out to respondents included furniture pieces, the lacquer screen, and the architectural model of E-1027, the house designed by Gray in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. The most memorable aspects of the exhibition included the fact that Gray was a self-taught architect/designer, the influence that she had on international design as a woman in a man’s world, and the history of her childhood spent in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland. Effective exhibition design has been found to incorporate a range of props and mediums, such as storyboards, exhibits, and audio-visual elements, in order to aid understanding and contextualisation of the narrative. Previous familiarity and the degree of emotionality of the narrative being portrayed have also been found to influence the visitor perception of effective storytelling. However, the findings also illustrate the need for improvements to be made to the exhibition, such as a clearer layout, colour photographs of the interior of E-1027, greater use of audio-visuals, and improved lighting. Overall, this study highlights the need for increased funding in order to reinvigorate and enliven the current exhibition in Collins Barracks.
Recommended Citation
Burns, Keeva and Doyle, Jacqui
(2025)
"Analysing Visitor Perceptions of Storytelling: The Eileen Gray Exhibition, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin,"
International Journal of Tour Guiding Research:
Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/qta0-9f78
Available at:
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijtgr/vol6/iss1/2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/qta0-9f78