Audience engagement
From the early 1800s up to the 1990s, dioramas were mainly studied in relation to their beneficial effects on visitors’ learning and relationship with natural environments. From the 1990s onwards, efforts were directed at improving visitor engagement with dioramas, in light of audiences’ increasing preference for forms of active involvement, a development driven by the growing use of technology amongst other factors. Thus, new technologies were deployed to enhance users’ interaction with the dioramas: visitors were invited to operate consoles and press buttons, while the dioramas were enriched with sensory content to make them come even more “alive”.
Since 2000, the focus has shifted to stimulating creativity, imagination and positive feelings on the part of visitors, as a means of encouraging them to adopt sustainable practices.