careless whispers….

I’m trying to make a simple electronic instrument that uses drawing as an input. Graphite, when spread on paper, can conduct electricity, and produces electrical resistence. If I can read that resistence, and input it to an oscillator, I should be able to make something relatively funky and straightforward. Once again, I have avoided using an arduino this semester. Shame on me….It’s interesting though, I haven’t needed one yet. I’m going to be the rustiest programmer in the world. More to follow on this. 

If I were designing a museum, I would want it to be a little something like this: 

Quality, not quantity. Overwhelm the visitor with strength of story or curation, not the amount of writing/art/information on the walls. 

 

Exhibits shall be planned in what I’m going to call “High School Essay’ fashion

           

Paragraph 1: State a theme/purpose.

Paragraph 3-10: Reinforce theme.

Final Paragraph: Reiterate theme, reiterate-supporting arguments, CONCLUDE.

           

            Tangents will not be tolerated.

 

A real, live person is almost always better then a didactic or a screen. In fact, almost anything is better then a didactic or a screen.

 

Techno-glitz is irrelevant in a museum, unless it directly pertains to an exhibits theme.

 

Simpler is often better.

 

Just including a computer screen does not make an exhibit interactive. The same goes for projections.

 

When presenting large amounts of information, do it in a “Tapas” vs. “Meal” fashion.

Refrain from placing a heaping plate of generalized knowledge in front of them. Instead.  Allow your visitors tiny tastes of facts and stories, allow them to pick what they like, and then give them enough to fill them up.

 

Cater to all audiences, not just a specific demographic. Art museums in particular…Children need more then paintings and sculptures to be entertained.

The word “art” should never equal “boring” in one’s mind.

 

Provide places to sit and reflect within the museum space. Not just cafes, cafeterias, and gift shops. Provide seating in hallways and relatively empty rooms. Allow people to take a break during their exhibit, and discuss what they’ve seen they’ll burn out much less quickly.

 

Create a dialog among your visitors whenever possible. Encourage them to discuss topics with each other. The facts that come up in conversation two or three days after a museum visit are the ones that are going to stick.

 

Provide “Family Hours”, a museum matinee of sorts. Give families a discount on entry for visiting during certain time periods, which would allow the institution’s staff to provide acivities geared towards kids.

 

Provide “Late Night” hours for older visitors on a weekly basis, not just on free nights or in companion with special events. Give serious visitors the chance to visit galleries at times when they are likely to be free from crowds, tourists, and kids. Perhaps maybe even charge a bit more for this? I know that I would pay, occasionally.

 

Touching is good. Make reproductions of paintings and sculptures. Allow visitors to feel the textures of artwork.

 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix. People value familiar sights and sounds when presented with an onslaught of new experiences.

 

Keep gallery floor plans as open as possible.

 

If it doesn’t work, get it off the floor, or at least make it clear that the exhibit is malfunctioning.

 

Security guards should be helpful. Give them the chance to take paid classes about museum exhibitions. Turn them into an active resource

Refrain from “herding.” Plan exhibits in such a manner that people can wander about after without feeling like a fish swimming upstream.

 

Make sure exhibits relate whenever possible. Don’t through random things together.

 

Create a dynamic space with in static one. Use movable walls, screens, and projections to recreate your interior areas whenever possible.

 

Remember that this manifesto is not set in stone. Add, subtract, reedit things whenever necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Cabinets of Wonder, a kick ass class on Museum Exhibit Design, we’ve been working on an exhibit proposal for the New York Hall of Science (if you haven’t been, go, its great).This is all very exciting, as we will actually be proposed our ideas to the director of the museum, Eric Seigel. This is based off an idea I had from my days working in concrete, and has really been well developed by my rather amazing group. Take a look.  (there are mock-ups, by Dave Gordon of this posted a few entries down) 

The Design Brief:

 

1) Exhibits that relate to light/shadow

2) portable/projected/inconspicuous/tangible/directly illustrate a point.

3) inexpensive???

 

 

4) For young kids, The transmission of light and shadow…Light and shadow can be transferred from place to place.

 

For adults/older children: Light/information can be traveled from place to place via fiber optics.

 

Principles of learning:

·      Learning through touch/play/experience/experimentation/ and social interaction. Though operable by a solitary child, this exhibit would be much richer in a group context.

 

·      Children will  be able to invent games, and discuss whats going on with others.

·      This is a novel idea. Will create a sense of wonder or “magic” until the principles behind it are understood.

·      From an artistic/design standpoint the light/shadow transfer could be an aesthetical pleasing effect.

 

What is it?

 

·      A flat surface will be imbedded with a large number of fiber optic cables,  the opposing ends of each cable flush with the top surface. The large bundle of cables will be visible beneath, in an enclosed plexiglass base.

·      Adjacent panels will be linked via the adjoining ends of each cable arc/group.

·      Each panel will have its own light source directly above.

·      The lamps above “paired panels”, those connected via fiber optic bundles, will pulse on and off at brief (15 second) second intervals.

·      As a result, light will transfer via the cables from the lit to dark panel. The lamp lit panel will appear to be an ordinary surface, while the darker panel will be lit with pinpricks of light. As a visitor approaches and places their hand, or any object, on the lamp lit surface, that shadow will appear on the panels pair.

·      A fiber-optic bloom will be available nearby, to provided a hands on illustration of how these cables transfer light.

 

The Experience itself:

o      The experience itself could take as little as 30 seconds, but could last as long as five minutes or more if children engage with it as a game.

o      Number of people: one to eight

o      A simple didactic, relying more upon then illustration then complex explanation, will be presented. The prescience of an “explainer” would of course add to the experience.

 

         The Budget:

·      2000-3000 in materials, 2000-3000 for labor.

o       

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I’ve been terrible about updating my blog this semester, and have resolved to nip that in the bud.  For my Living Art Midterm, I’m building a draw synth. I’m not exactly sure what this means yet, but I do know that it will involve resistence from graphite/pencil lead that you put on a paper. I’m hoping I can rig a simple synth based on a 4093 NAND gate oscillator that responds to the resistence from lines drawn on paper. I might end up with a big, noisy, piece of nonsense. It’s very important to me that this thing sound SOMEWHAT interesting, and this is the first time I’ve ever messed around with chip-tunes. I hope I dont end up in a big mess. We’ll see.