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"Exploratory" exhibits By Ian Russell Written
for New Heritage magazine, 2002 The bubbles exhibit at W5, Belfast. The impressive entrance feature in front of W5, Belfast's new science center, attracts an almost continuous gathering of fascinated visitors. Created by their enthusiastic hand-pumping, streams of silvery bubbles rise through tall, transparent tubes. In each tube the bubbles are different. One tube contains a rather viscous liquid through which air-globules glide upwards with their sides rippling like alien jellyfish. Another tube apparently contains water where the exploding, shimmering discs remind us of air exhaled by SCUBA divers seen in films. Yet another tube contains a clear liquid of such low viscosity that each disc-shaped bubble has a knife-sharp rim and a flat underside. The effect is beautiful and calming. It is engaging and thought-provoking. People are discussing what they are noticing. Exploratory behaviour We quickly find ourselves experimenting. We notice that smaller bubbles rise more slowly than larger ones. Ah, so, if we jerk the lever quickly to make a small bubble, the next big bubble will overtake and devour it… We are really enjoying this! Hey! Wait a minute! Where's the information? What are we supposed to be learning here? What is this exhibit about? What is it meant to demonstrate? Are bubbles in the science curriculum? Stokes Law! Viscosity! Maybe this exhibit is designed to teach about viscosity? But looking at the deeply-engrossed group of visitors, we rather doubt that many are thinking about viscosity. They are just dreamily, experimentally, playing with bubbles… Shouldn't somebody tell them? No. This is exploratory behaviour and the bubble tubes are what I call an exploratory exhibit. If a cheery explainer strolled over at this moment, to reveal that it is all about viscosity and density and turbulence and refraction of light, the magic would quickly fade. We would see politely-nodding visitors conclude their private, sheepishly unfocused explorations and drift meekly away to "learn" something else.
Exploring a selection of specimens with a simple video microscope. (W5, Belfast.) W5 refers to itself as a discovery centre and the staff who encourage and empower visitors to engage with the exhibits are not called explainers. W5 includes many other equally effective exploratory exhibits. There is also a balanced proportion of explanatory components. I was not professionally involved with the development of W5 and on visiting was refreshed to see an inspirational centre that has resisted the growing pressure to become more schoolish. Explanation inhibits exploration In fifteen years as a full-time interactive exhibit designer and consultant,
I have found that explanatory exhibits tend to inhibit exploration. Yet
explanation can be a hit-and-miss business with more freely exploratory
exhibits. Interactive designers walk a creative tightrope between explanatory
and exploratory ideologies. All interactive exhibits fit somewhere between
these extremes. Subtle graphics are crucial to this exploratory electrical exhibit. (W5, Belfast.) Discovery is a journey, not merely a curriculum-defined destination Others can wrangle over that shadowy thing known as learning. I am just a practical, nuts-and-bolts person, talking here about visitor behaviour. As an exhibit designer, behaviour is what I mostly monitor. I find that exploratory behaviour is often a useful yardstick, whatever its educational significance. And I notice that exploratory exhibits generally seem to be the most popular part of an exhibition. I think the fashionable obsession with curriculum-driven learning blinds us to the importance of exploratory behaviour and exploratory exhibits, as an end in themselves. We pay lip-service to learning by discovery. But genuine discovery is an empowering, inspiring, shared journey, not merely a curriculum-defined destination. "Exploratory" Its importance reaches beyond science exhibitions. "Process" is equally important in other disciplines, such as history. The interactive design approach has diffused from science centres into all kinds of visitor attractions. Too often, it is more explanatory than exploratory. In some cases, visitor numbers or repeat visits could be under-achieved as a direct result. "Interactive" has become a worn-out, meaningless adjective. "Exploratory" actually means something...
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