The Journey of Museomix 2016

If designing a new and innovative concept for a museum was not difficult enough, the teams have their struggles as they spend the 3 days working hard. While each team is designing something unique, using different methods and tools, the journey towards the final project seems to be a general struggle.

Obstacles come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Being prepared for frustration is extremely important and making sure that every team member is focused on the obstacle and putting all their creative energy into solving it is how many of these teams overcome the challenges of Museomix.

Coming to Museomix with several ideas and “pre-prototypes” has proved to be extremely useful. By having a handful of ideas, the teams have another idea to follow and develop when there is an issue with the original.

One of the common challenges that arises when working on the prototype, is where the prototype will be placed. Factors such as weather, physics and technicality of the prototype can pose as problems for the teams. A few of the teams have even changed the location of their prototype, as technical issues become more apparent. One of the teams explained that with the unpredictable weather, placing their prototype outdoors would cause major complications and can actually ruin the prototype.

Another team described their issue as being purely biological. Their concept fell through when they realised that the eye cannot focus on two things at once. The team expressed that they wanted to keep their original idea as it was their favourite. However, when first faced with this problem, it severely stressed them, as it was the end of the second day already. The concept is still under construction, as they want it to remain an option for their final prototype.

We have seen an extreme emphasis on creative processes and how the mind is constantly searching for solutions in a creative matter. Struggles provoke the mind to become creative and encourages people with opposing ideas to work together. The Museomix community believes that the ever-changing process of finding the perfect prototype will make the end products even more interesting and will make their creators even more proud of how far they have come.

We look forward to Sunday’s reveals!

Author: Nadia NEGM , Webster University

Photos: Athena CAREY, Webster University