Look into infinity
This exhibit didn't work well for me. The mirrors were dirty and not super reflective. Also, as hung, the mirrors are pretty far out of alignment, meaning that the mirror closest to the viewer needed to be held in position in order for the effect to be seen.
If a more solid box were built, the mirrors could be kept clean and in alignment. Putting the whole thing on a table with a chair in front of it could also prevent the need for multiple eyehole heights. Plus, fixing the mirrors would make it easier to place additional mirrors on the sides, extending the infinite effect to an additional dimension.
The benefit of not locking down the wall is the ability to curve the infinite tunnel that is created by the mirrors, but this could be accomplished though other means, like a spring loaded mechanism that nominally keeps the mirrors parallel but allows the viewer to adjust the angle. I imagine it like a pilot's flight control stick.
Giant Mirror
This is one of my favorite things in the museum. It's so clean and simple, yet powerful and engaging. What I really like is that people are just naturally attracted to it and can't help but play in the presence of the mirror. There are several suggested means of interaction on the placard, but you can only see this if you've come close enough that you're already engaged in it. There is an immediate quality that draws a viewer in, but there is also a secondary discovery once you proceed past the focal point. This is fascinating to explore alone, but the possibilities are magnified by interacting with other people or even by standing back and observing other museum-goers interact with the mirror and with each other.
By hovering on the edge of the focal distance, the world is flipped upside down and the relationship between size and distance gets confused. This creates a great opportunity to play with your surroundings and pretend to shoot lasers out of your giant alien head at an innocent Britt.
On a general note, a lot of the exhibits did not seem to be meant for someone of my height. I had to duck down to see many of the intended effects.
So many people were disappointed by the Look Into Infinity exhibit. I've got to conclude that the concept itself must have a lot of potential for the execution to have so deeply maligned us all.
ReplyDeleteAlso, good observation on height. One of the best things about the giant mirror was that it made no demands on the dimensions of the person interacting with it, which a surprisingly large number of the exhibits did.
I really like your suggestions about improving the Look into Infinity exhibit, and in particular I think the joystick idea is pretty cool! However, I guess if you take younger children into consideration they might still need multiple eyeholes with a chair.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the lack of accommodation for taller people, but I think other than large scale exhibitions, placement and design to ensure the convenience of people of all ages and all heights might be a challenging problem for all installments.