Artificial lighting and visual perception of exhibited objects in museums

The primary factors which affect the exhibited objects in museums are the intensity and type of artificial lighting, color, the distance between the light source and the artwork, and external factors like sound, odor etc. Within the scope of this thesis, the impact of visual perception and artificial lighting in museums is the focus of study. The Abdürrahim TUNCAK Atatürk House Museum at Baskent University campus is selected as a case study. The aim of this study is to analyze the artificial lighting and visual perception of four exhibition rooms of Abdürrahim TUNCAK Atatürk House Museum and propose an alternative model to achieve optimum conditions. A digital lux meter is used to measure light levels that displayed objects are exposed to, and by considering 6 design strategies, new models are proposed using artificial lighting, modelling and rendering software – DIALux. Maximizing visitors' focus of attention and visibility of displayed objects, minimizing glare, achieving recommended light level, and categorizing artifacts according to their related concepts and susceptibility to light, are the main suggested design strategies during the design phase of the study. Finally, a guideline with 6 design outcomes is prepared, followed by mentioning possible research for future studies. KEYWORDS: artificial lighting in museums, visual perception, light level, susceptibility to light