The paper examines the semiotic and cognitive status of interactive exhibits at science centers, taking the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw (CSC) as an example. Such science centers support bottom-up interactions, encouraging visitors to spontaneously explore the exhibits in various ways. We analyze one distinctive way of interaction, when young visitors ignore an exhibit’s instruction and use it as if it were a kind of a toy or machine to play with (this is particularly common with exhibits that are unfamiliar “open-ended objects”). Drawing on cognitive semiotics we describe this particular way of interacting with exhibits as the reality mode of experience, in which the user ignores an intended exhibit’s representational function. We consider whether such interactive objects can be framed as cognitive artifacts, given that standard conceptualizations of artifacts emphasize their representational function. How can we convincingly describe the process by which the cognitive function of an exhibit experienced in reality mode is constituted? In this paper we apply concept of ecological cognitive artifact and the idea of the enactive signification to these questions. We argue that exhibits experienced in reality mode do indeed perform cognitive functions, even in the absence of a representational relation. Our investigation provides insights into the cognitive functions of exhibits and contributes to the conceptualization of non-representational cognitive artifacts.

本文以华沙哥白尼科学中心（CSC）为例，探讨了科学中心互动展品的符号学和认知状况。此类科学中心支持自下而上的互动，鼓励参观者自发地以各种方式探索展品。我们分析了一种独特的互动方式，即年轻参观者忽略展品的说明并将其当作玩具或机器来使用（这对于不熟悉的“开放式物体”展品尤其常见）。借鉴认知符号学，我们将这种与展品互动的特殊方式描述为体验的现实模式，其中用户忽略了预期展品的表征功能。鉴于人工制品的标准概念化强调了它们的表征功能，我们考虑是否可以将此类交互式对象构建为认知人工制品。如何令人信服地描述现实模式下体验的展品认知功能的构成过程？在本文中，我们将生态认知制品的概念和活动意义的概念应用于这些问题。我们认为，即使在缺乏表征关系的情况下，在现实模式中体验的展品确实具有认知功能。我们的研究提供了对展品认知功能的见解，并有助于非代表性认知制品的概念化。