Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Thinking Aloud About the Katarina Reuter Exhibition
Were you puzzled by the art, or did it make you laugh? Art speaks in a different way to all of us. EMMA offers the audience an opportunity to share their own experiences of art and to listen to the thoughts of others inspired by the Katarina Reuter exhibition. The audience can use the Think aloud method to facilitate and inspire interpretation. Whether you are a regular visitor or a first-timer, thinking out loud is guaranteed to give you new ideas and perspectives on art. You can read more about the method below.
What is the Think aloud method?
Think aloud is a research method involving the verbalisation of thoughts during an activity. The method has been utilised in cognitive sciences in particular and has been used to study the individual thinking process during problem solving tasks. A person thinking aloud is alone in the situation and does not direct their speech towards anyone. The goal of the task is to verbalise internal speech as authentically as possible. The Think aloud method has proven in studies to be a fruitful way of interpreting and approaching art.
The Think aloud method enables supporting an individual art experience. When faced with an artwork, the experiencer always produces an interpretation that reflects them. Because the speech is only intended for oneself, there is no need to have the “right” thoughts or have an expert validate the interpretation. This method can be used for dismantling and diversifying art speech, which is often driven by experts, and for encouraging audiences to approach art from their own starting point. The Think aloud concept enabling people to share their experiences in this exhibition has been designed by independent researcher Anni Avela, who has applied the method to research on the art experience.