
Installation view of Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects at The Museum of Modern Art, 2011. Photo © Scott Rudd
The exhibition Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects is up and running in our Special Exhibitions Gallery on the third floor. The public is behaving just the way we dreamt they would, not only diving into individual exhibits, reading, taking pictures and videos, clicking and dragging, and listening, but also taking full advantage of the interactive features in the galleries and beyond.
In the spirit of its theme, we have made sure that the exhibition is permeable, transparent, and connected. Here are some of the tools at the public’s disposal for a truly enhanced experience:
QR Tags in the Catalogue
When an object published in the Talk to Me catalogue is accompanied by a video, a QR tag leads directly to the video, for a seamless experience.
QR Tags in the Show
Each object in the exhibition has a QR tag that leads to the corresponding object page on the exhibition website. Visitors can snap it with a QR reader as a bookmark/reminder of a particularly interesting object to revisit at home, and in some cases there is additional content available that we couldn’t accommodate in the galleries. We have considerably souped up the Wi-Fi network in the galleries so the public can connect to the MoMA network for better performance.
Twitter Hashtags in the Show
Every object has also been assigned a Twitter hashtag, so visitors can send targeted tweets that will then be also picked up by the exhibition website.
Talk to Me Website
Designed by the San Francisco–based web-design firm Stamen and plain gorgeous, the exhibition website features all the objects in the show and more, and draws information from Twitter to highlight the interconnectedness among objects and of the objects with the outside world.
@talktome2011 on Twitter
We send updates related to the objects in the show and to related topics, complementing our research on the relationship between people and objects, other people, cities, and the built world.
Talk to Me Blog
Originally conceived as a rich research and communication tool leading up to the opening of the show, the blog lives on. It seems we simply cannot stop talking. The Talk to Me blog will host diverse updates, from posts by 11- to 14-year-old participants in a special workshop, to our newly launched series The Exh Files (as explained below).
In other words, everything you have always wanted to know about how exhibitions get done, but you’ve never dared ask. For the duration of the exhibition, twice a week we will post three profiles of MoMA colleagues that were involved in the making of this show. The Exh Files not only shed light on the curatorial process, but also cast the spotlight on the unsung heroes and heroines whose work is critical to the success of a show.
Live-Streaming Gallery Tours
Mark your calendars for live-streaming gallery tours of the Talk to Me exhibition! These free tours offer online visitors the opportunity to view and ask questions about the exhibition. On September 6 and 13 we will be offering tours in English, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
To participate, visit Livestream.com/MuseumModernArt or the MoMA Facebook page on the dates specified. No registration is necessary, so get ready to submit your questions!
So please come see the show, and make the most of these interactive features!