http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131 Comments en-us Thu, 31 May 2007 13:42:06 -0700 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid58 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid58 Bill's reflections remind me of a comment a science center exhibit designer made to me years ago after he'd come back from a visit to the National Park Service site at Harper's Ferry: "The best interactive exhibit is a human being." Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:10:46 -0700 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid59 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid59 Bill's and Wendy's comments hit the nail on the head re what interactivity is really all about. Physical activity and interactivity are not synonyms. Yet this semantic error is often seen in many of our science centers. A beautiful display, a guided tour through a fascinating environment (as in Bill's review), or even a single artefact can be infinitely more interactive than pushing, pulling, twisting, or turning levers, buttons and other bells and whistles. Interactivity is about holding power, not muscle power. Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:43:06 -0700 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid69 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid69 ...for my dad for Father's Day to see this. I'm in SF, he's in NY, and this is our family's story. Thanks, Bill. While the often large spaces of a museum offer wonderful opportunities, there is nothing like close quarters to foster keen observation, and where possible, empathy. Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:48:47 -0700 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid88 http://exhibitfiles.org/exhibition/view_review.rss/131#cid88 In addition to the benefit of the human interpretation of the site (as noted by Bill and others), my experience on this same tour last Thanksgiving was marked by reflections from fellow visitors. On our tour were three generations of a family-grandparents, parents, and a teenager. One of the grandparents had lived on the Lower East Side around the same time as the tour's history and the other in Brooklyn. Their personal reflections (on everything from baths in the kitchen, to using orange wrappers for toilet paper) added a special richness to the tour.