Play as a serious visiting practice

21.04.2026

MMTP on the opening panel at an international conference on museum visiting.

In mid-April, senior researchers Nanna Holdgaard and Anne Rørbæk Olesen took part in the international conference Visiting the Museum: New Perspectives and Future Directions at the University of Brighton.

The conference brought together researchers and museum professionals from around the world to discuss what it means to be a museum visitor today – and how museum visits are shaped by emotions, the body, sensory experience, power, and institutional frameworks.

On the conference’s opening panel, Nanna Holdgaard and Anne Rørbæk Olesen presented the paper The Playing Visitor. The presentation challenges the still widespread perception of museum visitors as primarily observant and argues for play as a central and meaningful way of experiencing museums for children, young people, and adults alike. Here, “the playing visitor” was presented both as an analytical concept and as a strategic ideal in museum practice.

The presentation formed part of a broader conversation about the relationship between visitors and museums and positioned the National Museum’s work at the forefront of international research in this field.

Participation in the conference strengthened networks and knowledge exchange and contributes to the National Museum’s ongoing work to develop more meaningful and inclusive museum experiences.