Instagram as an exhibition space: reflections on digital remediation in the time of COVID-19

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on a planned physical exhibition–Prize Books and Politics: Rethinking Working-Class Life in Edwardian Britain–and the experience of transforming it into a digital exhibition through the platform of Instagram. Using feedback from visitors in the form of likes, comments and surveys, I reflect on the exhibition in terms of its scope, content, visitor experience and overall success. I also outline the various potentials, constraints and opportunities of Instagram as an exhibition space and put forward recommendations on how it can be used to best advantage not as a replacement for physical exhibitions, but rather as a complement that can attract new audiences, capture real-time feedback and, thus, add multiple voices and stories to museum objects.