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Tuesday, September 04, 2018
Theatrical Effects Enrich The Experience Inside The Museum Of The Bible
Rosco Spectrum: The new Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. is a $500 MM institution that showcases thousands of rare biblical artifacts alongside state-of-the-art exhibits that are designed to engage its visitors with the Bible.
3 comments:
Elizabeth P
said...
Based on what I watched in the short video (under the Hebrew Bible Experience), the effects and artistry are absolutely stunning. I was raised in a strictly Christian household and I distinctly remember having to go to church every Sunday to hear about stories in from the Bible told in flannel board and popsicle sticks, in short, I was bored out of my mind. The collection of lights, sound, projection and physical elements being used to share stories from the Bible is absolutely remarkable. So often you can read a story on paper and it will never come to life in your head, but the stories from the Bible are supposed to be spectacular, and so I think these effects are incredibly fitting. A review from the Washington Post said, "...a clear, powerful story. And it could change the museum business." Regardless of how you feel about religion, this innovative style of presenting material means that museums are aware of their changing audience and incorporating more modern feels into their exhibits. If you want to share a message, you need to understand your audience and their preferred method of learning.
Many museums are changing the way they present material to move from and in the box informational experience to an immersive educational experience. By tying dynamics sights, sounds, and activities to their content museums are hoping to bring in more visitors who leave with a more profound experience and a stronger retention of the things they’ve seen and learned. Most museums tend towards pretty and fun interactive things as they gear towards the social media world. However, not every museum can fit nicely into the typical instagrammable theme. This museum has found a way around that by going theatrical as opposed to photogenic. The impressive and imposing effects fit the dramatic and powerful theme far better and the incredible quality of implementation and artistry is sure to leave a lasting impression on visitors. I think it would be so cool if more museums tended in this direction and explored the different ways of creating immersive experiences for their guests. My only worry is if they end up practically as theme parks.
This is amazing. Museums being interactive, engaging, and stunning creates a far more lasting and powerful affect than museums being nothing more than display cases with text to read. One of the most powerful exhibits I have been able to witness was described to me as "the best static theater I have ever seen" and before I turned a corner to see the reveal, I thought that was a silly way to describe a museum. And then I was proved very. very. wrong. I recently went home to Houston and took a trip to my Museum of History and Natural Science. I have always thought fondly of this museum, but as we walked through carefully lit dinosaurs in dim lighting unsuited for photos, with little to interact with, I felt let down after having been to not only the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago but also our own History Museum here in Pittsburgh. The best and easiest way to learn is by engaging your audience, giving them something to do, so that they want to learn and understand more. Museums that allow you to engage and interact with exhibits have such a larger impact that museums that just display and present. If you think this is wrong, I encourage you to look at your favorite primary education teachers versus your least-favorite. One of them made you engage. The other one presented. Promise. This museum is finding a way to make engagement their top priority, which is wonderful to achieve their mission in engaging their audience. Even though a Museum about the Bible sounds like the last thing this non-believer thinks she wants to go to, just watching the video and seeing the exhibits makes me want to explore and learn what they have to teach. I love that museums are starting to incorporate theatrical elements to create static, engaging, and interactive learning experiences.
3 comments:
Based on what I watched in the short video (under the Hebrew Bible Experience), the effects and artistry are absolutely stunning. I was raised in a strictly Christian household and I distinctly remember having to go to church every Sunday to hear about stories in from the Bible told in flannel board and popsicle sticks, in short, I was bored out of my mind. The collection of lights, sound, projection and physical elements being used to share stories from the Bible is absolutely remarkable. So often you can read a story on paper and it will never come to life in your head, but the stories from the Bible are supposed to be spectacular, and so I think these effects are incredibly fitting. A review from the Washington Post said, "...a clear, powerful story. And it could change the museum business." Regardless of how you feel about religion, this innovative style of presenting material means that museums are aware of their changing audience and incorporating more modern feels into their exhibits. If you want to share a message, you need to understand your audience and their preferred method of learning.
Many museums are changing the way they present material to move from and in the box informational experience to an immersive educational experience. By tying dynamics sights, sounds, and activities to their content museums are hoping to bring in more visitors who leave with a more profound experience and a stronger retention of the things they’ve seen and learned. Most museums tend towards pretty and fun interactive things as they gear towards the social media world. However, not every museum can fit nicely into the typical instagrammable theme. This museum has found a way around that by going theatrical as opposed to photogenic. The impressive and imposing effects fit the dramatic and powerful theme far better and the incredible quality of implementation and artistry is sure to leave a lasting impression on visitors. I think it would be so cool if more museums tended in this direction and explored the different ways of creating immersive experiences for their guests. My only worry is if they end up practically as theme parks.
This is amazing. Museums being interactive, engaging, and stunning creates a far more lasting and powerful affect than museums being nothing more than display cases with text to read. One of the most powerful exhibits I have been able to witness was described to me as "the best static theater I have ever seen" and before I turned a corner to see the reveal, I thought that was a silly way to describe a museum. And then I was proved very. very. wrong. I recently went home to Houston and took a trip to my Museum of History and Natural Science. I have always thought fondly of this museum, but as we walked through carefully lit dinosaurs in dim lighting unsuited for photos, with little to interact with, I felt let down after having been to not only the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago but also our own History Museum here in Pittsburgh. The best and easiest way to learn is by engaging your audience, giving them something to do, so that they want to learn and understand more. Museums that allow you to engage and interact with exhibits have such a larger impact that museums that just display and present. If you think this is wrong, I encourage you to look at your favorite primary education teachers versus your least-favorite. One of them made you engage. The other one presented. Promise. This museum is finding a way to make engagement their top priority, which is wonderful to achieve their mission in engaging their audience. Even though a Museum about the Bible sounds like the last thing this non-believer thinks she wants to go to, just watching the video and seeing the exhibits makes me want to explore and learn what they have to teach. I love that museums are starting to incorporate theatrical elements to create static, engaging, and interactive learning experiences.
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