Curating Atmospheres: Sensory Encounters within Museum Spaces in London

This paper explores how the atmosphere of museum spaces in London shapes sensory experiences and fosters cultural participation, focusing on an ethnographic comparison of the Migration Museum and Turner Contemporary. Drawing on Georg Simmel’s sociological aesthetics (Simmel, 1896) and Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis (Lefebvre, 2004), the study investigates how these museums curate sensory environments that influence visitor engagement and the construction of cultural narratives. The Migration Museum creates an atmosphere centred on activism and participatory encounters, while Turner Contemporary fosters a more contemplative, visually driven space. These contrasting approaches reflect different conceptions of cultural democracy, with each museum using aesthetic choices to mediate their public role.

The analysis highlights how sensory atmospheres—through lighting, spatial design, sound, and materiality—shape the relationship between visitors and exhibits, functioning as tools of inclusion and exclusion (Thrift, 2008). These affective atmospheres structure the ways in which visitors experience cultural stories, engage with social issues, and participate in the museum’s broader political and cultural missions. While the Migration Museum adopts a forum-like atmosphere to promote active participation, Turner Contemporary’s temple-like environment encourages a more distanced, reflective engagement, illustrating different methods of facilitating or constraining participation (Leschenko, 2013).

This comparative analysis contributes to the intersection of aesthetics and sociology, offering insights into how museum atmospheres are used to mediate power, knowledge, and sensory engagement. It underscores the role of museum spaces in negotiating cultural democracy, shaping affective experiences, and revealing the sociopolitical implications of aesthetic practices in public institutions.