After discussing the concept of generating ideas and tapping into creativity in class last night, I have been thinking about the origins of creativity. When we are kids, creativity comes naturally. We are able to tap into this wealth of imagination and creativity because we aren't bound by self-consciousness, societal rules, or the burdens of reality. We play because that's what makes us feel good and alive and comfortable. It's perfectly normal for us express our imagination, making up elaborate stories and scenarios and interacting with our environment in ways that are almost impossible for adults to comprehend. Or is it? I began to wonder if it is possible for adults to tap into that state of pure creative glee that kids are so connected with.
Children's Museums are everywhere, in every major city and suburban area, anywhere where there is a high concentration of children. I realized that since the entire design of these museums is based on children, the idea of scale is very much a part of the design. Children's museums deal with scale as it relates to kids, not adults. Things are either very small so as to relate directly to them, or excessive large so as to allow kids to interact and immerse themselves in them (ie. climb or run around or play with). It is through this manipulation of scale that these museums connect directly to the kids and engage them in creative thought, generating a lasting relationship between the kids and the exhibits.
Another idea featured in the designs of children's museums is the recurring theme of patterns and modules. Children's museums break down information and concepts in to their most basic form so that kids can understand it. That literlly means breaking things down to their most basic building blocks... and allowing children to manipulate and move them around in order to comprehend the given info. Oftentimes, kids are asked to complete patterns or engage in repetetive tasks in order to drill home the information being presented. This way of learning relates directly to the ideas I studied earlier in terms of scale, pattern and modules of the Red Hook Waterfront.
After coming to all these realizations, I was still having trouble pinpointing my clear, core idea... I was having difficulty tapping into my unadultered creativity. And then I realized that that was just it... what if there was a place for adults, like myself, to tap into their basic creativity and imagination without road blocks. A place that got us back in touch with the basic ideas of fun while allowing us to learn in an unrestricted environment. In essence, a Children's Museum for Grown-up!
This led me to think about the ways kids play and how they learn through play. When kids absorb new information, in order to completely process it they incorporate it into their play. It is through this creative repetition that they learn... and also increase their base of creative research. So where do they learn or take in this new information? School, obviously, and TV and books and lots of other media outlets... but also museums. In fact, there is an entire genre of museums dedicated to children and how they best learn and interact with things. A genre of museum that is based purely on creativity and imagination. Obviously, I mean the Children's Museum,
Children's Museums are everywhere, in every major city and suburban area, anywhere where there is a high concentration of children. I realized that since the entire design of these museums is based on children, the idea of scale is very much a part of the design. Children's museums deal with scale as it relates to kids, not adults. Things are either very small so as to relate directly to them, or excessive large so as to allow kids to interact and immerse themselves in them (ie. climb or run around or play with). It is through this manipulation of scale that these museums connect directly to the kids and engage them in creative thought, generating a lasting relationship between the kids and the exhibits.
Another idea featured in the designs of children's museums is the recurring theme of patterns and modules. Children's museums break down information and concepts in to their most basic form so that kids can understand it. That literlly means breaking things down to their most basic building blocks... and allowing children to manipulate and move them around in order to comprehend the given info. Oftentimes, kids are asked to complete patterns or engage in repetetive tasks in order to drill home the information being presented. This way of learning relates directly to the ideas I studied earlier in terms of scale, pattern and modules of the Red Hook Waterfront.
After coming to all these realizations, I was still having trouble pinpointing my clear, core idea... I was having difficulty tapping into my unadultered creativity. And then I realized that that was just it... what if there was a place for adults, like myself, to tap into their basic creativity and imagination without road blocks. A place that got us back in touch with the basic ideas of fun while allowing us to learn in an unrestricted environment. In essence, a Children's Museum for Grown-up!
So this is the idea that I am currently exploring. I think that there is a lot of possibility and opportunity in this idea and I really excited about seeing where it leads.
Let me know what you guys think!
i really like the idea. it is subversive in th eway that it chnages your state of mind from adult to kid. im interested in hearing what will go in the museum.
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