Hybrid Museum Process
Sketchbook Documentation & Interesting Finds.
Lucy Raven
Motion Artist, Photographer.
Pittsburgh Museum of Art
Her work discusses how the natural world, specifically the landscape, can be disrupted significantly by man-made events such as nuclear testing. She uses sound and an immersive exhibition to emphasize how the “peace” of nature can be disturbed.
I was inspired by the scale of her projects — in addition, when I was walking through her exhibition, the blaring bomb sound significantly contrasted with her peaceful moving pictures.
Jordan Wong
Fine Artist
Pittsburgh Children’s Museum
The exhibition is named “Play is Infinite”; Jordan is primarily concerned with our perceived version of ourselves and how we tend to have an ideal version of ourselves.
Nowadays, people often think they are not good enough because of the constant comparison in social media, but it is the various features in our personality that make us who we are— we are more than just a picture and profile description.
Jordan also believed that experimentation and fun are fundamental concepts of creativity. He uses different media for every artwork, ranging from fine arts, printmaking, graphic design, and street art to woodworking. I am inspired by Jordan’s work because his ethos extends beyond his artwork and into his creation methods.
Interesting Finds in MOA
When I visited the museum, there was a unique mineral showcase that had an exciting format. The display suspended different types of prisms (representing the chemical structure) and placed the resulting mineral at the bottom. I thought the format was obvious to tell the stone’s story.
I also thought the museum’s decision of putting large, bright LEDs inside a completely dark room to make the display art stand out. In addition, when I walked from a bright room to a dark, isolated room, I felt the mood drastically changing from free, and loose to confined and almost gloomy.
Chatting with the Artist
Jordan’s Creative Motive
After meeting with Jordan Wong, I gained tons of insight into his inspiration as an artist. His exhibit — Play Is Infinite — explores the self and the ways we can “level up” in life.
Jordan also relates his artwork to his personal story. Throughout his childhood, he has been obsessed with anime, manga, and stories that have protagonists who learn to adapt to their environment throughout the story. As an adult, Jordan tries to understand the reason for his obsession with these types of stories. Growing up as a Chinese person in Pittsburgh, he felt isolated — no one looked similar to him, and he was always treated as a foreigner.
Furthermore, he also did not speak Mandarin — the language that his parents communicate with. At family dinners, Jordan often struggled to understand conversations and communicate his ideas.
Jordan thought that the reason he was drawn to anime characters was the fact that he resonated with the character’s struggles. They, too, felt isolated from their worlds. However, the characters were always able to overcome the conflicts and advance into a different and stronger version of themselves.
Jordan’s Journey
In Jordan’s work “Tao”, a large arrow leads to the Chinese letter “破极限”, which translates to “break through limits.” The base of the arrow resembles railroad tracks, which symbolizes Jodan’s great-great grandfather’s job as a railroad builder. The artwork draws attention to where he came from, and how much different it is to the person he is today. As a third-generation Chinese-American, his story has broken through the limits of his ancestry.
Display Ideas Brainstorm
- One of Jordan’s works combines many geometrically shaped canvases to create a larger whole. What if people could interact as a whole and light up the different canvases?
- Another one of Jordan’s works required him to physically separate a layer of oxidized copper plate from the artwork. The different layers of the work could be displayed vertically stacked so that the viewer can physically “separate” the layers too.
- In his spare time, Jordan creates small “stream of consciousness” drawings using black ink. What if that could be displayed in juxtaposition to his final, rendered work?
- In our meeting, Jordan explained how most of his audience does not know how his art is created — one of his friends even asked if he painted it with acrylic paint. I think that it is important to emphasize how he uses the Illustrator pen tool to redraw every detail in his artwork for the final composition, not relying on the image trace tool at all.
- The idea behind the hands sketch is that the viewer can trace through Jordan’s artwork with their hands; simultaneously, a projection screen will respond to the touch, allowing them to draw shapes. This gives the viewer a hands-on approach to Jordan’s creative journey.
- I incorporated Joran’s Stream of Consciousness Drawings as part of the flooring so that the view can follow (it could either be printed on the floor for the visitor to follow or it can be a projected path that appears behind the viewer as they walk around the exhibit.)
The Story Board combines different interactive displays and focuses on how the visitor navigates through them.
- At the entrance, the visitor sees the 破极限 (overcome limits) arrow with railroad tracks symbolizing Jordan’s origin as an artist. The large arrow then disperses into Jordan’s doodles, symbolizing how he pushed past his limits and explored his “self-identity” and freedom.
- The doodles form behind the visitor’s path, symbolizing that they are writing their own story.
- In the largest room, visitors can trace over Jordan’s artwork with their hands and understand the creative process.
- One of Jordan’s works consists of a tall canvas and a prominent metallic surface texture (see image below) that I was only able to observe clearly from a close distance. I wanted to create a narrow space for the visitors to walk through, encouraging them to closely observe the texture and feel the varying elevations.
- Visitors light up the frames by standing on different colors.
- The viewer can lift different panels to replicate and cohesively understand how Jordan extracted his artwork from iodized copper.
Mood Board 1
Visualizes a playful atmosphere. I wanted the museum to have dark and dimmed lighting with lights that drew attention to the vibrant artworks.
I want the typography to incorporate geometric shapes and bold colors to deliver a sense of continuity with Jordan’s artwork. In addition, the vibrant secondary color will only serve as small area highlights to the exhibit. The primary color is dark blue to reduce excessive visual noise in juxtaposition with the vibrant artwork.
Mood Board 2 (AI-Generated)
Prompts:
A museum exhibit for a graphic designer with interactive elements and a simple background to emphasize the artwork with less emphasis and detail on the artwork and dim light. The target audience is children and the mood should be inspiring and colorful with interactive elements and projections on the floor.
I made continuous iterations such as:
Omit some colorful details on the wall and floor. Make the lighting dimmer. Visualize closeups of typography installations. Generate a color palette that matches the theme.
Sep. 3 Crit with Aarnav
- Find a narrative. How can I immerse the visitor in a story so that they are engaged?
- Design the interactive structure to follow the narrative, and not individual stations that feel different.
- Think about how the artist would feel if they saw all the technology and holograms surrounding their artwork.
- For the hand-tracing technology, what if more than one person would interact with it at the same time? Currently it’s kind of like ew he’s already interacting with this so I’ll wait for my turn. But once we start considering more people being involved in the interaction, the space begins to come together.
- How can you make a five-year-old understand the exhibition?
Revised Narrative:
Jordan’s great-great-grandparents immigrated as railroad workers, but through accepting his past and always embracing a playful and experimental attitude, he was able to push beyond his limits in life.
As such, the theme of the exhibition is that no matter what your background is, you will be able to “push past your limits” through relentless play and experimentation.
Sep 3 Takeaways from Peter
- Considering not overlapping the artwork and the technology. (referring to the finger-tracing interaction) It might be confusing for the audience… what becomes the artwork? Does the technology become the artwork too?
- Drafting the physical space to define how people move around. Planning things on paper is different than physical prototyping.
- Have a conclusion to exhibit. What if there is a space for the visitor to tell their stories and interpret other people’s stories?
Hybrid spaces reflection: What other types of environments are becoming hybrid? Give at least one specific example and note whether or not you think the hybridization of the environment improves the user experience.
Transportation, especially the airport check-in system, has been progressively becoming hybrid. I still remember the days in middle school when everyone was required to obtain their physical tickets from a counter, and when my mom would urge me to get ready five hours before the flight. Nowadays, we can simply access our e-tickets from applications — we can even add the ticket to our Apple wallet. This definitely improves the user experience by saving time. Technological advancements also make it difficult to lose our tickets since we are essentially “glued” to our phones. In addition, it reduces crowding in airport public spaces, which also helps to improve the physical experience.
Consider 2–3 ways IoT, spatial interaction design, new tech, etc. can be incorporated into your design.
Following the Narrative, I wanted each visitor to be able to experience creating their own story in the museum. I hope to incorporate responsive flooring (similar to the Nike example) that forms a path of Jordan’s sketches as the visitor walks. In addition to seeing doodles form behind their feet, I hope to create a narrative that they can be immersed in. Jordan’s artwork “Lucky Rabbit” features a playful rabbit that symbolizes fragility and adaptability — inspired by that motive, I wanted to create a narrative where the audience can choose their path to start their visit, following an energetic rabbit that is projected onto the walls and floor.
The rabbit would drop a star to be picked up by the visitor (this might require newer technology to make it believable). Then, the rabbit would disappear into pieces of sealed layers. The visitor would need to use the star that the rabbit has dropped to unlock the layers and separate the layers. This process is also in parallel with how Jordan created the original artwork through a printmaking technique called quaint etching. (This seems slightly difficult to explain with words so I’ll draw soon!)
Then, the visitor will walk into the WONDER X WONDER display, and they can walk further to find out information about the artist and children’s factory. I decided to put the info section in the middle and not the beginning of the exhibition because I find that I often get distracted by museum maps. I tend to get obsessed with viewing the most important artworks available and neglect the experience. By engaging the visitor in an immersive adventure immediately, I hope that the sense of mystery will spark more engagement.
Sep. 5 Feedback from Peter:
- The audience may need help understanding the doodle if it appears immediately. “Oh what’s this under my feet?”
- How do we make people walk to the right, not the left? Consider slanting some of the walls.
- The rabbit sliding mechanism might work better if it is on the wall — this would inspire the visitor to be closer to the artwork.
- What if the doodles appear after you tell your story in the end? The rabbit is Jordan’s story, but when does your story officially start?
I am a big fan of the Little Bits! The pressure sensor worked best for me and it was cool to see how increasing the pressure affected all the outputs at the same time. The USB input worked much better than batteries — it had enough voltage to power lots of fans at the same time. In the future, it would be cool to see how they can be connected to our phones with Bluetooth.
Initial CAD Modelling
Layout Exploration
I exported the Sketchup file to Rhino and explored different wall placements and artwork frame positions. I also changed different floor elevations with ramps to incorporate more ideas of “play”, “differentiation”, and a sense of royalty as they uncover the rabbit treasure.
Top View of Initial Layout
Bird’s Eye View of Layout
Following the mood board, I wanted the layout to contrast with the artwork presented. Note: contrast could be further increased with luminescent frames but the current room appears a bit too dark.
The Story
Scene 1
As the visitor enters the museum, they encounter “Tao” and observe the transition from the railroad to “overcoming limits”. This symbolizes that they will begin creating their own narrative in the Museum.
Scene 2
Upon entering, the visitor immediately encounters an agile projected rabbit (photoshop later) that leads them forward. They step on the rabbit’s path (symbolized with yellow circles lighting up upon activating) as they chase the rabbit.
Scene 3
The projected rabbit jumps into the closed frame on the wall. As the user activates all the path indicators, the brown frame will extrude outwards and reveal “Lucky Rabbit.” The layer of oxidized copper will juxtapose with the final artwork, which recreates Jordan’s experience of “extracting the layers” for the viewer.
Scene 4
As the visitor turns a corner, they encounter “WONDER X WONDER.” The blue screen tracks the eye movement of people standing in front of it. It detects which piece in the artwork was looked at the most by all people. Then, it prints a small-scale copy of the panel down below. (I kind of butchered the artwork layout here and the authentic one looks so much better. Will fix it later!)
Scene 5
An interactive photobooth where viewers can use Jordan’s graphic background icons for their pictures.
Scene 6
As the viewer approaches the end of their journey, they see the train artwork, which resembles hope and enthusiasm for the future with written words “Get-on” and “Cannot stop.” The viewer can write their wishes for the future on the interactive screen, and piece the train together to carry onto the future.
After writing about their hopes, Jordan’s doodles will appear behind their feet as they leave the exhibition through the vestibule, symbolizing that from now on, they are writing their own story. I wanted to reserve more of the vestibule as an inspiring exciting space so that the visitors will feel more motivated at the end of the visit, and hopefully, they will be able to take play and hope with them as they depart.
Crit from Aarnav
- Be intentional about the interactions. Right now they’re distracting a bit from the main artwork, especially when there’s a big screen in front of what you want to show.
- The rabbit interaction is cool, but I could rethink how you activate the mechanism. Currently, it is kind of like pressing a button with your feet and the rabbit will reveal. The rabbit in the artwork is literally subtracted from oxidized copper. Is there a subtle interaction that can show this?
- Don’t be afraid to add more walls. The jump from rabbit to the main exhibit gallery might be too scary. How can I add a transition space?
Crit from Peter
- Add a more private and reserved space to write about your story. The room is added, how will people know that it’s occupied?
- Add a subtle transition space from the rabbit display to the final display. It could be an arc or a doorway.
Photoshop Experiment!
Photoshopped Visualization of the Rabbit Mechanism.
Made in EasyGifmaker! I wanted to show how the rabbit drawing opens up and illuminates the surrounding areas. In this display, the viewer can gain an understanding of how the artwork’s making process. They will also see how the rabbit is subtracted from the copper layer, and how the artist plays with the positive and negative space.
Interaction with Eye Tracker
In Jordan’s artwork “WONDER X WONDER”, following the background icons will lead the viewer through multiple different journeys. The eye tracker will track the visitor’s eye movement, displaying a personalized “Hero’s Journey” for the viewer which will come back in a later interaction!
Physical Model Images
How is the role of an architect and an environment designer different? Be specific when talking about projects, skillsets, tools, approaches, etc.
I think that architects and environment designers both shape spaces, but they have different focuses and skill sets. Architects mainly design buildings, such as homes, offices, or public structures. Their work centers on making sure these buildings are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. They work more with structural integrity and different regulations. On the other hand, environment designers focus on larger and engaging spaces — like parks, urban plazas, or even virtual landscapes. Our goal is to design environments that feel harmonious and user-centered, whether it’s blending with nature or creating immersive virtual spaces.
Typeface + Graphic Iterations
I wanted to create a 3D geometrical typeface for Jordan’s introduction. Although Jordan primarily works in 2D, I wanted to create a high-contrast introduction that pushes the artwork beyond the dimension it is in. The bold, geometrical shapes also provide a sense of Jordan’s playful character.
I also extruded the letter N to make it a table for the gallery attendant!
Curtain and Mystery
I wanted to add a curtain so that the viewer isn’t immediately exposed to the rabbit section when they walk in. Instead, I want the projection rabbit to guide them to walk through the curtain and discover a new world.
The Rabbit Display Mechanism
After talking to Peter, I realized that the current rabbit art display doesn’t allow the viewer to view both pieces at the same time. Maybe putting one piece on each wall and reconstructing the mechanism to rotate would solve the problem.
Also, I considered the order in which the interaction would go. The piece would have a motion sensor — when it detects movement, the original piece will rotate on the railing. With the new mechanism, it doesn’t extrude outwards into the view’s personal space. The round railing’s form language is also much less intimating than the four extruded metal bars.
After a shower delay, the TV below would light up and play the video of Jordan’s creation process. As such, people’s attention would be on the artwork in the beginning and shift onto the video later.
The lighting of the main museum is slightly warm to create a congenial area that emphasizes play.
Updated Visual with Jordan’s New Files!
Jordan sent over some high-quality files with accurate dimensions so I updated some pictures in the museum.
Higher fidelity rendering of the eye tracker model. The viewer’s eye movement will create a snippet of the artwork that is unique to you–it represents the path that you chose for yourself.
Graphics and Information Design
I wanted to utilize type and create a more cohesive representation of Jordan. He was really only introduced at the beginning, and there wasn’t much information to learn about him at all. So, I wanted to integrate a quote and a biography of him as the audience navigates through the museum, highlighting keywords with his signature red, blue, and yellow which is also prevalent throughout the exhibition.
I decided to put the texts after the rabbit section because I wanted to immerse the audience in the “rabbit-hunting” journey right off the bat. The quote is displayed right after the rabbit area in a transitional hallway.
I used the type Niveau Grotesk because it was a good balance of playfulness and readability.
There is a short hallway and doorway after the rabbit section, signifying a shift into a different section. The visitor can use this space to reflect on the past display and prepare for the next experience.
The Continuity of the Exhibition’s Narrative
While the rabbit section significantly focuses on process and experimentation, I really wanted the museum to explore the idea of self and how we all write our own stories. My initial idea was to have visitors write about where they want their stories to go in front of a touch screen.
The idea is that the visitor will see their hopes for the future go into the train of the future as they walk by the artwork on their way to depart the museum. However, the narrative felt disconnected — it never really focused on the view in the beginning and middle parts. The sudden jump to “This is about you” might confuse the viewer.
I also had a different idea — to animate geometrical shapes like triangle, circle, and rectangle and give them different characteristics. The viewer can then choose one shape that they resonate with and watch it jump onto the streetcar of the future. However, this idea felt disconnected too after Daphne pointed out some obvious discrepancies.
Revising The Continuity
What if there is a transitional interaction that doesn’t stray completely from the artwork, but also lets you think about yourself through symbolism?
My new idea was a photo booth where you and your friend could use Jordan’s art to create your own story. This is a transition to a more personal narrative, and we can reflect on how our personal experiences resonate with the hero’s journey. How can we overcome our struggles and where do we want our future to go?
Jordan’s biography also gives more information about the idea of self. I learned from Daphne that I may be delving too deep into my artist and failed to notice that an average visitor of the museum would lack the information to understand the interactions if no context is given. As such, I tried to add more subtle transitions from Jordan’s work to the idea of self.
What About The Streetcar?
I decided to keep the streetcar piece without interaction to not draw too much attention from the artwork, which is my original intention. The street became a departing space of subtle reflection, where people can intentionally think about what future they will choose for themselves as they leave the exhibition.
Finishing Animation and Rendering
Visualization of the rabbit as it leads the visitor through the curtain and jumps into the artwork.
Final Renderings With Figure
Stop Motion Animation Of Interactions
Top View and Elevation Diagram
I controlled the flow of visitors by slanting the main wall here to direct movement to the right. The grey circle represents a transition area between two large interactive structures.
Detailed Walkthrough of Exhibition + Presentation
Meta-Cognitive Experience Reflection: What motivates you? What distracts you? What keeps you engaged?
Motivation
What motivates me throughout a meta-cognitive experience is the blend of sensory inputs and the learning environment. The opportunity to interact with both the physical and digital aspects stimulates curiosity. I am inspired by curiosity-driven explorations: how the physical artifacts invoke a sense of depth of knowledge, while the digital augmentations allow for a much deeper. This motivates me to make connections between past and present in creative ways.
Hybrid exhibits often allow for active participation — whether it’s through manipulating digital interfaces, simulations, or engaging with immersive stories. This hands-on interaction aspect motivates me to feel the interactions.
Distraction
If the exhibit’s digital elements are too abundant or visually overwhelming, my focus can shift from understanding the core message to simply processing the flood of information. I think that excessive screen-based interactions can dilute the immersion in the physical space.
A mismatch between physical and digital elements — where the digital feels like a superficial add-on — can make us feel disconnected as if the two worlds don’t align. This causes a lot of cognitive dissonance and obstructs my understanding of the experience.
Engagement
What keeps me engaged in a hybrid museum exhibit is seamless integration and a compelling narrative:
When the physical and digital elements are woven into a cohesive narrative, I feel transported into the experience. For example, a digital recreation of historical events surrounding an ancient artifact adds deeper meaning.
In addition, exhibits that allow me to shift between physically handling objects and interacting with digital elements create a balanced engagement. It helps prevent cognitive overload while keeping the learning process dynamic.
Lastly, engaging elements that offer feedback, such as quizzes, progress tracking, or the ability to interact with others’ interpretations keep me invested.
Final Physical Model
Final Reflection:
Overall, I was really happy with how much freedom I had in the hybrid museum project. I was able to choose an artist that I enjoyed working with (which might not be the case anymore when I began working in the industry), and I had fun sketching + brainstorming different interactions for the exhibition. The most important lesson I learned was that I often get to delve too deep into my own mind when designing — I understood tons of details about Jordan, so every decision that I made felt self-explanatory to me. However, it may not be clear for the average viewer. The transition from the rabbit exhibition to “writing your own story” was not clear. Moving forward, I think that it would be good practice to step away from my work and think about how a total stranger to my project would use my design. Lastly, I am motivated now to create more “immersive” designs that draw us away from our phones. When I look at my screen time recently, I’m often so shocked at the sheer amount of time I’m glued to my phone. I realized that there is so much power and pride in designing something so impactful that it makes them throw their phones away and be in the moment.
