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Experience is a term often found in relation with contemporary approaches to architecture that seeks to add an experiential value to the built environment. This thesis addresses this tendency by exploring Ordrupgaard Art Museum as an example of contemporary developments of museum architecture. The thesis is more specifically an investigation into the significance of transitions as a spatial element in architecture, arguing that when passing through architectural transitions, atmospheres come into being as something felt. It seeks to put new light on the importance of such transitions taking part in shaping atmospheres experienced by the visitors moving between the museum spaces at Ordrupgaard. By bringing an atmospheric sensibility to the exploration of transitions, it seeks to add important nuances to current research and cultural developments in society, not least to add to the scarce literature existing on transitions in space. Atmospheres denote a sensuous ‘something’ that takes place ‘in-between’ things and people. Accordingly, the thesis is neither a pure study of space nor of the human, but instead, an investigation of the thing that emerges between the visitor and space during transitions. The thesis provides a phenomenological approach in investigating how the transitions feels through an empirically sensory ethnographic approach. The study hereby seeks to conduct a methodological triangulation, based on walk-alongs, interviews and visual methods of eye-tracking. The empirical data consist of extensive fieldwork including 11 walk-alongs and a total of 17 informants. To understand the impact of architectural transitions, I have identified five types of transitions that each play a significant role in shaping the atmosphere in the museum space: (1) transitions of somatic engagement, (2) transitions of anticipation (3) transitions of pleasure (4) transitions of retreat and (5) transitions of emotive attraction. Each of these aspects work to shape and inform the experience of the atmospheres while traversing museum spaces. It further suggests how these key aspects can point to a broader significance of transitions for the general experience of art museums today; creating alternative spaces besides for art, leaving room for visitors to appreciate the individual design of each part of the museum while traversing through buildings and museum spaces.

It is often predicted that technological progress will lead to social change. Technologies are for example expected to help fight climate change, end world hunger and increase access to education. But a comparison of the predictions and outcomes of technological advances in the past suggests that expectations associated with technological progress tend to be exaggerated. Still, technological visions continue to have an important influence on how futures are envisioned, planned and enacted. Against this background, it has been argued that the social sciences should intervene and encourage an opening up of discourses about preferable futures. This thesis argues that design processes are central in turning visions into reality and engages with two steps towards a more attentive and including way of envisioning technological futures: (1) It seeks to provide a better understanding of how present futures affect design processes and by this shape future presents. (2) It thinks towards a social science based, future-oriented design approach. To engage with this two steps three design processes concerned with the application of technologies are ethnographically studied through interviews with the designers and participant observation. The thesis analyses how the three design processes and their imaginaries affect and constitute each other: The designers create an imaginary by relating and adapting visions and expectations depicted in commercial videos, articles, websites and project descriptions to their own situation. The design processes apply an imaginary, seeking to embed visions into the complex sociotechnical systems the design should become part of, through the designers’ actions. The designers change an imaginary, in order to adapt the imaginary to the realities the design should intervene in. And finally the design outcomes confirm an imaginary.Based on the finding that the three design projects’ imaginaries are too technology centred, too narrow in scope and were too carelessly changed, the thesis thinks towards a future-oriented design approach. To do this two social scientific ways of future-thinking and utopian-imagining are evaluated and their applicability proven. The thesis concludes that a future-oriented design approach could offer an opportunity for social scientists to participate as co-designers in design processes. A future-oriented design approach provides a more attentive and including way of envisioning technological futures and is a non-institutionalised form of productive future-thinking.

This master’s thesis addresses a tendency of cultural state institutions that use spatial design through temporary events as a strategic tool to gain a higher number of visitors and validate their existence within the public sector. I exemplify this with the case: SMK Fridays at the Danish National Museum, which derives from the concept ‘Museum Lates’ – an evening at a museum, to give a new insight of the museum. The aim of this thesis is to discover the potentials of the spatial design of the conceptual event. The research question aims at critically investigating the materiality of the event concept implemented in a historically building, SMK, on the basis of my findings. The case that has been chosen represents an example of the development among culture state institutions, which take directions towards commercialism and experience economy. I draw on ethnographic fieldwork and hereby seek to conduct a methodological triangulation. The empirical data consist of participant observations, field notes, photographs, documents, designer interviews and visitor interviews. These methods seek (1) to investigate the space of SMK Fridays in relation to the intended idea of the concept, (2) to observe the relations of the designed space and the spatial components, and lastly (3) to get an understanding of the visitor’s experience. The theoretical framework focuses on a socio-material ontology with focus on the concepts of ‘space’, ‘performance’, ‘genius loci’ and ‘experience’ in order to understand the material aspect of the event and the spatial design. This paper argues that the architecture and space of SMK can shape the social interaction, but also that the interaction of the non-human and human actor influences the space. Moreover, I argue that the designed spaces of the event are experienced in a variety of ways; the sensuous experience is an important part of creating the site-generated experience. Lighting and atmospheric soundscapes are active components in creating social situations and engaging performance. I conclude that material, immaterial, human, and non-human spatial components therefore mutually shape interactions and meanings, and thereby co-constitute meaningful experiences, when they relate to each other - the event, space and place.