ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Whoa, didn't realise our Spectrum of Life interactive was so influential! Some background info on that here: http://www.exhibitresearch.com/cms/?q=node/26/

If I can toss in another bit of shameless self promotion, the Shackleton installation we did around the same time also tends to get talked about a lot I think... http://www.exhibitresearch.com/cms/?q=shackleton

Meanwhile, here in London, a few that people talk about: 

- Interactive table at Churchill Museum/Cabinet War Rooms, done by Casson Mann I think. Done way back in 2005, to many the table that started it all...

- The big LED visitor-feedback installation in Science Museum, done even earlier, also I think by Casson Mann

- One for the future maybe: the biometric interactive at Wellcome Collection by Ico Design/Chris O'Shea: http://www.chrisoshea.org/wellcome-biometric

kevin

On 13 Jan 2011, at 16:31, Brewster Buttfield wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Eugene
> 
> I would consider the use of digital technology in the "Spectrum of Life" at the 
> American Museum of Natural History to be influential. This dramatic and visually 
> appealing exhibit works because of the computer stations that the visitors uses 
> for identification of species. I often reference it when discussing the 
> successful use of technology in museums. It is certainly influential in the 
> application of technology. Whether it is influential in the broader exhibition 
> field outside of technology is another question.
> 
> Brewster
> 
> Brewster Buttfield 
> Prospect Design 
> 424 Fore Street 
> Portland, Maine 04101 
> 207-749-7400 
> [log in to unmask]
> www.prospectdesign.me
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Eugene Dillenburg <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Thu, January 13, 2011 10:56:32 AM
> Subject: [ISEN-ASTC-L] Influential uses of digital technology in exhibits?
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Please excuse any cross-postings.
> 
> I started teaching my Exhibits class this week and, as always, I gave the 
> students a brief history of exhibits, borrowing heavily from Marjorie 
> Schwarzer's chapter on "Twelve Influential Exhibits" in the AAM centennial 
> book.  She lists Carl Akeley's dioramas, the coal mine at MSI, the Holocaust 
> Museum, and others as exhibits that have had a broad impact on the field at 
> large.
> 
> During the discussion afterward, one student asked if there were any 
> technology-based exhibits that were also considered influential.  I thought of 
> Science on a Sphere, which is popping up in several science centers, and the 
> AMNH biodiversity hall which has a computerized ID system that has received a 
> lot of attention.  But for the most part, no, and I came up with three reasons:
> 
> 1) Digital technology simply hasn't been around long enough to for any 
> individual application to impact the field in the same way that the 
> Exploratorium model or Mathematica have;
> 
> 2) Digital technology changes so rapidly that, even if there was something with 
> the potential to create such an impact, it would be out of date in a few years; 
> and
> 
> 3) Exhibits have such long lead times, and tight budgets, that they cannot 
> easily incorporate cutting-edge technology.  (I suppose that's a summary of 
> points 1 & 2).
> 
> However, I have been wrong before, so I thought I'd put the question out there: 
> have there been any exhibits whose use of digital technology has had a wide 
> influence on the exhibit field?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Eugene Dillenburg
> Exhibit Developer, Science Museum of Minnesota
> Assistant Professor and "Scholar," Michigan State University
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the 
> Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
> 
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at 
> www.exhibitfiles.org.
> 
> The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To 
> learn more, visit
> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
> 
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
> 
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
> 
> The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
> 
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]