Leveraging Pixar to make computational thinking exciting
CLIENT
Museum of Science, Boston and Pixar Animation Studios
PROJECT
The Science Behind Pixar 2013-2015
ROLE
Senior Exhibit Designer
Award-winning exhibition
This exhibit was the recipient of the 2016 ASTC Excellence in Exhibition Award, as well as the 2016 Leading Edge Award, and is expected to continue to traveling nationally for many years to come. There is also a second, multilingual copy, built in 2017 currently traveling internationally.
The Gallery
Our design intention was to create furniture that would frame (not obstruct or cut) the beautiful large-scale Pixar artwork we were showcasing, while still adhering to our accessibility practices and technical needs. Over iterations, our color and material palettes for the structures within the exhibit became very neutral, including the Immersive set pieces (which were originally supposed to take on more of a movie-set feeling), to achieve a sense of unity in the space. The benefit of our material choices is that, even after years of being on the road, the exhibit still feels new and fresh.
Multiples
This exhibit was the first time we implemented the concept of offering many stations with the same activity to aid in throughput and visitor satisfaction. Out of the forty interactive components within the exhibit, only ten are one-offs. The implication of designing in this way was that we spent the least amount of time working on design and fabrication drawings as possible, but the exhibit retains a visual and experiential texture. It also helps the components to travel well and configure decently into many different exhibit spaces across other museums.
Universal Design
It was a huge, fun, challenge to create photo ops amidst learning activities, and to develop accessible, Universally Designed activities about the visually-heavy topics of computer science and animation. We leaned heavily on adding tactile and audial elements to interactions to make the exhibits more accessible to a broader audience.
