Interactive Exhibit
The Washington State Fair’s Interactive History Experience
Client:
Washington State Fair
Venue/Location:
Washington State Fair Events Center
Browse:
Highlights
The Washington State Fair Interactive History Experience transports visitors through a mix of digital and analog.
The Wayback Machine presents three themed photo collections.
Turn the wheel to explore the Fair’s Wayback Machine.
The largest history tunnel immerses visitors in hidden gem anecdotes from Fair history.
Creative applications of technology establish a portal to the past.
Two engaging user stations allow for simultaneous exploration.
The Fair Story history highlights.
Visitors browse multimedia stories using a touch interface.
Exhibit graphics, artifacts, and primary sources relate Fair history at the timeline.
The illuminated tables act as both the storytelling and architectural backbone of the exhibit.
A contextual World History fin connects the Fair to other historical events.
The Extreme Entertainment tunnel details over 120 years of astounding Fair acts.
The Fair Food tunnel celebrates the Fair’s tasty treats—fresh, fried, sweet, and savory.
Along with iconic eats, this tunnel tells stories of the Fair’s inventive and devoted vendors.
Three Fair Story timeline tables tell over 120 years of Fair history.
Distinct, festive color-coding identifies each segment of the timeline.
The Fair Story winds throughout the space, integrating with other exhibit experiences.
Best & Brightest displays physical artifacts with an interpretive reading rail.
A variety of agricultural and technological artifacts can be seen at Best & Brightest.
Graphic design nods to the Fair’s hand-painted past.
Intuitive artifact labeling allows for easy interpretation.
Client:
Washington State Fair
Browse:
Highlights
In close collaboration with the Fair’s internal team and a tight-knit group of project partners, Belle & Wissell designed the Interactive History Experience to celebrate the Fair’s rich history of agriculture, excellence, innovation, and community.
Through a series of interactive elements, artifact displays, and visual timelines, the exhibit recounts the Washington State Fair’s service to the public since its founding in 1900. The new History Experience expresses the reach and longevity of the Fair, celebrating over 120 years as one of the largest, most iconic and successful fairs in the United States.
Curious fairgoers can explore the Fair’s history at The Fair Story timeline tables, curving their way chronologically through the space. The three illuminated, double-sided displays provide the foundation for exhibit-wide storytelling, including archival photographs and relevant Fair Collection artifacts.
Visitors may “slide through time” in three immersive History Tunnels. Two smaller tunnels serve as temporary exhibits, spotlighting popular Fair attractions—“Extreme Entertainment” and “Fair Food.” The third (and tallest) tunnel incorporates timeline graphics and interactive media encompassing the Fair’s complete history, featuring little-known anecdotes. Each candy-striped tunnel contains vibrant graphic design, creative technology applications, and media-rich stories.
The Wayback Machine presents unique subsets of photography from the Fair Collection, accessible by peeking into a viewfinder and rotating a mechanical flywheel. “Fair Kids,” “Animals,” and “Parades” are currently on-view, but each digital experience was designed for seamless content refreshes, allowing the Fair to release new content over time.
A massive artifact display, Best & Brightest, illustrates how the Fair—then and now—is the place to see what’s new. Technological innovations, agricultural tools, and distinguished prizes epitomize the Fair’s role in community. Visitors utilize a vast reading rail that provides location keys and text interpretation of the curated artifacts and digital content presented above.
Share Your Fair is a salon-style photography display that invites visitors to share their photographic memories and see them immediately appear in the gallery. Using hidden technology and leveraging social media, Share Your Fair includes and connects visitors with the History Experience, reflecting the modern-day Fair and its community.
Project Accolades:
Seattle Times “It’s time to do the Puyallup at Washington State Fair…,” 2022
Q13 Fox “Washington State Fair: Labor Day Weekend events, new exhibits, full concert lineup,” 2022
Tacoma News Tribune “…Here’s what’s new at the 2022 State Fair,” 2022
Belle & Wissell Team Credits
Principal & Design Director: Gabe Kean
Creative Technology Director & Engineer: Matt Arnold
Designer: Jes Noparat
Content Lead: Natalie Abeles
Architect and Casework Designer: Okano Picard Studio
Software Consultant: Matt Clifton
Associate Designer: Mary Stratton
Studio Director: Sarah Trueblood
Technology Lead: Edward Tang
Art Director: Edrea Lita
Conceptual Illustrator: Izzi Vasquez
Assistant Technologist: Alex Bahn
Additional Project Credits
Chief Experience Officer, Washington State Fair: Andrea Thayer
Fair Historian, Washington State Fair: Patty Herman
Fabricator: CREO Industrial Arts
A/V Integrator: BBI Engineering, Inc.
Accessibility Consultant, Studio Pacifica: Karen Braitmeyer
Exhibit Consultant: Jill Randerson
Photography/Videography: Steve Utaski
Belle & Wissell Team Credits
Principal & Design Director: Gabe Kean
Creative Technology Director & Engineer: Matt Arnold
Designer: Jes Noparat
Content Lead: Natalie Abeles
Architect and Casework Designer: Okano Picard Studio
Software Consultant: Matt Clifton
Associate Designer: Mary Stratton
Studio Director: Sarah Trueblood
Technology Lead: Edward Tang
Art Director: Edrea Lita
Conceptual Illustrator: Izzi Vasquez
Assistant Technologist: Alex Bahn
Additional Project Credits
Chief Experience Officer, Washington State Fair: Andrea Thayer
Fair Historian, Washington State Fair: Patty Herman
Fabricator: CREO Industrial Arts
A/V Integrator: BBI Engineering, Inc.
Accessibility Consultant, Studio Pacifica: Karen Braitmeyer
Exhibit Consultant: Jill Randerson
Photography/Videography: Steve Utaski
In close collaboration with the Fair’s internal team and a tight-knit group of project partners, Belle & Wissell designed the Interactive History Experience to celebrate the Fair’s rich history of agriculture, excellence, innovation, and community.
Through a series of interactive elements, artifact displays, and visual timelines, the exhibit recounts the Washington State Fair’s service to the public since its founding in 1900. The new History Experience expresses the reach and longevity of the Fair, celebrating over 120 years as one of the largest, most iconic and successful fairs in the United States.
Curious fairgoers can explore the Fair’s history at The Fair Story timeline tables, curving their way chronologically through the space. The three illuminated, double-sided displays provide the foundation for exhibit-wide storytelling, including archival photographs and relevant Fair Collection artifacts.
Visitors may “slide through time” in three immersive History Tunnels. Two smaller tunnels serve as temporary exhibits, spotlighting popular Fair attractions—“Extreme Entertainment” and “Fair Food.” The third (and tallest) tunnel incorporates timeline graphics and interactive media encompassing the Fair’s complete history, featuring little-known anecdotes. Each candy-striped tunnel contains vibrant graphic design, creative technology applications, and media-rich stories.
The Wayback Machine presents unique subsets of photography from the Fair Collection, accessible by peeking into a viewfinder and rotating a mechanical flywheel. “Fair Kids,” “Animals,” and “Parades” are currently on-view, but each digital experience was designed for seamless content refreshes, allowing the Fair to release new content over time.
A massive artifact display, Best & Brightest, illustrates how the Fair—then and now—is the place to see what’s new. Technological innovations, agricultural tools, and distinguished prizes epitomize the Fair’s role in community. Visitors utilize a vast reading rail that provides location keys and text interpretation of the curated artifacts and digital content presented above.
Share Your Fair is a salon-style photography display that invites visitors to share their photographic memories and see them immediately appear in the gallery. Using hidden technology and leveraging social media, Share Your Fair includes and connects visitors with the History Experience, reflecting the modern-day Fair and its community.
Project Accolades:
Seattle Times “It’s time to do the Puyallup at Washington State Fair…,” 2022
Q13 Fox “Washington State Fair: Labor Day Weekend events, new exhibits, full concert lineup,” 2022
Tacoma News Tribune “…Here’s what’s new at the 2022 State Fair,” 2022