Making Wonder

Many clients ask their exhibition designers for a ‘wow’. It is almost a cliche in the exhibition world. We ask what this means and what should exhibition designer do to provide it? 

Exhibitions communicate wonder. People go to exhibitions to see things that inspire awe. They want to say, ‘wow, look at the size of that dinosaur’ or they want to marvel at rockets or aeroplanes found in science museums. Large-scale exhibits of dinosaurs and large animals at the Natural History Museum in London, the American Museum of Natural History, or the Grande Halle d’Evolution in Paris have inspired since their inception.

In recent years, there has been an justifiable emphasis on creating relatable exhibition experiences - to re-examine the things we are familiar with. But it important for exhibition designers to realise that visitors are not always looking for the familiar and known. Some exhibits are baffling and extraordinary. There is a creative befuddlement that happens when confronted by the extraordinary. Those ‘wow’ museum experiences can be memorable and formative. A museum can resonate through people lives and encounters with amazing exhibits are known to inspire children in their future careers. 

The emotional connection is as important as the intellectual connection. The emotion is needed first. As exhibition designers, we should inspire and then inform. As one well-known exhibition designer said, ‘I want people to say this looks cool’ as they come to an exhibit. It’s important to make an emotional connection first and then provoke a desire amongst the visitors to understand an exhibit more fully from an intellectual perspective. 

Living Object understands the importance of creating wonder in museums. Whether by creating large-scale exhibits, immersive environments, or exhibits that are precious and jewel-like. Wonder helps us to look outside ourselves and engage with extraordinary things that museums can help to deliver.