Nirvana: Taking Punk To The Masses Exhibit Opens

After nearly two years of preparation, fans and contributors came together to view the April 16th opening of the Nirvana: Taking Punk To The Masses exhibit.  A unique combination of artifacts from Nirvana’s heyday including hand-written notes, clothing and instruments are incased amongst streaming video interviews, life-sized photographs, and graphic-based maps. The collection is designed to depict the musical layout of the Pacific Northwest landscape and tell the story of a band that helped shape Seattle’s history.

Along with exhibit graphic design, Belle & Wissell, Co. designed a confessional booth that serves as an interactive recording station for visitors and fans to contribute their personal Nirvana experiences to an ongoing video database stream. To use the interface, viewers watch other, prerecorded, Nirvana “confessions” and answer a queued question about an experience they remember having with or about the band. For example: “When was the first time you heard Nirvana?”

Beyond gathering the perspective of guests, the exhibit contains several interactive touch tables (Belle & Wissell, Co.) which display streaming interviews, music and album art, all selectable by by the viewer. Since the viewers’ relationship to the band varies greatly, the interface allows the user chose how expansive or general their experience of topics is.

Addressing such a complexly personal piece of Seattle history was challenging, but by combining past artifacts with new technology, the Nirvana: Taking Punk To The Masses exhibit is a powerful and dynamic composite of experiences – connecting fans of all ages to a band and an era that changed music history.

Exhibit Graphic and Interactive Design: Belle & Wissell, Co.
Exhibit Design: Wonder Mine.
Curatorial: Jacob McMurray and the EMP curatorial team

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