Spatial Configuration and Multisensory Experience in Art Exhibitions: Linking Visual Exploration, Cortical Haemodynamics and Soundscape Appraisal

Multisensory exhibition design requires coordination between spatial layout and sound provision. Understanding how spatial configuration relates to visual exploration and experienced soundscapes is essential to that coordination. This study combined visibility graph analysis (VGA) with synchronous eye-tracking and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) from 36 participants and scene-specific questionnaires during interactive panoramic exhibition viewing. High-integration scenes showed longer exported coordinate paths, more regional switching and higher soundscape ratings, whereas medium-integration scenes showed longer fixations. Oxygenated haemoglobin (HbO) coefficients in three channels were lower under high than low integration. Exhibition-adapted eventfulness scores were higher during the second viewing with added sound, most strongly in high-integration scenes. Within the high-integration stratum, a joint behavioural–haemodynamic model explained 68.1% of eventfulness score variance, with a Q2 of 0.583 under cross-validation with one participant held out; visual behaviour provided the principal incremental contribution. The findings link visibility structure to distinct exploration and appraisal profiles, informing the coordination of exhibition layouts and sound.