Flow

Custom designed audio cones provide a unique listening experience for visitors to hear directly from some of MIT’s celebrated researchers and thinkers. The audio recordings are triggered when visitors step in front of each cone, which feature pulsing interior lighting to accentuate the speakers’ voices and an outer LED ring that highlights the cones’ sculptural quality. Subtle floor projections indicate where visitors should stand and summarize the content with short titles.

At the center of the 81st Street Studio is a form that resembles a tree. Beneath this tree is a digital station inviting visitors of all ages to make and play. Leveraging camera vision and projection, the station offers two interactive activities.

First, visitors can use hands-on tools to carve their own “woodblock,” then create virtual “impressions” of their design in projected light with different colors, patterns, and other attributes.

The second activity guides visitors to design physical drums, and then use digital tools to play them in a variety of styles.

Hidden throughout the space are what Heidi Holder, the museum’s Chair of Education, describes as ‘subtle magic.’ These are unexpected visual surprises that reward discovery and close looking. Small eyes peer out from unexpected places; as visitors approach, the eye blinks, before offering a delightful surprise from The Met collection for those paying close attention. These displays hint at the experience of visiting the full museum, where there is always something more to discover and explore.