Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum
Overview
This temporary exhibit highlights 130 years of Innovation in the Waterloo Region. It explored the process of innovation - how an invention goes to market or never gets beyond the drawing board - and the many stories of innovation in the area.
Details
- Client
- Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum
- Project
- Unconventional Thinking: Innovation in Waterloo Region
- Size
- 5,310 sq. ft.
- Scope
- Exhibit Design
- Location
- Kitchener, ON, CA
- Year Completed
- 2011
- Budget
- $300,000
The
Goal
Unconventional Thinking: Innovation in Waterloo Region was the first major feature exhibit curated by the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. The opening of Unconventional Thinking coincided with the official opening of the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum in November 2011. From the LeRoy (the first Canadian production automobile) and agricultural innovations, to blue box recycling and, of course, the BlackBerry, Waterloo Region has a rich story of innovation that continues to this day.
The
Design
As the first exhibit at the newly opened Museum, the mandate was to create a ‘wow’ and fun factor. It had to be an engaging, interactive and visitor-centered experience, as well as updateable and modular. The design solution is a modern, clean aesthetic that is clear in messaging. Here, visitors could discover what makes Waterloo Region a hotbed of innovation.
The exhibit included a variety of artifacts as well as a series of idea and serviced-based innovations, many of which had no physical artifact to display. A series of “trading cards” highlighted the date, place of origin, creator, and image of the invention. The long sweep of under-lit plinths and pops of bright color enlivened the large white space. The Innovation Den offered a lighthearted look at a number of innovations where visitors could vote on what might succeed or fail. A simple spinner wheel demonstrated the ways in which an innovation can fail with humorous outcomes.
