Traces: Story of a Nation
Cecilia Moscardó
Exhibition and Experience Design
About this Item
- Title
- Traces: Story of a Nation
- Contributor Names
-
Moscardó, Cecilia (Author)
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Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. Exhibition and Experience Design (Degree granting institution)
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Ferwerda, Christina (Thesis advisor)
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Cowan, Brenda (Thesis advisor)
- Date
- 2020
- Degree Information
- M.A. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York 2020.
- Department: Exhibition and Experience Design.
- Advisors: Ferwerda, Christina; Cowan, Brenda. Committee members: Christina Lyons; Joanne Arbuckle.
- Abstract
- This document consists of two parts. Part I is entitled "120 Beats per Minute: Music Pacing Exhibitions" and explores the thesis related to the use of music as a design tool to not only regulate the pace of visitors but also as an interpretive tool to add texture to the storyline. In Part II, I presented the integration of the thesis in a designed environment called "Traces: Story of a Nation," an exhibition that takes place in City Hall Park in Manhattan. This exhibition invites visitors to explore the history of American immigration through stories of immigrants and their descendants told through the display of personal objects that conform to a wider narrative. The use of music in the exhibition enhances the connection between the stories told and the visitor's personal experience looking for a greater emotional impact and a deeper engagement.In our over-stimulated society, creating meaningful connections in exhibitions has become a more challenging endeavor. What if we could solve this by using a ubiquitous language like music? This is what this thesis and exhibition investigated and promoted. Music has long been overlooked as an interpretive tool in the design of exhibitions, but it could certainly benefit the experience of the audience by slowing them down and fostering a deeper engagement with the content. I explored a more qualitative way to experience an exhibition on immigration that will spark appreciation and personal connections by influencing the pace of visitors and their emotional impact through the use of music.This thesis and exhibition project is grounded in the subject, audience, site, and client research. I analyzed how music affects the human perception of time, pace, and emotions, in the retail context and the film industry, and how the strategies used in these environments could be added in the museum context to engage the audience on a deeper level. Designers could use musical tempo as a design tool to enhance the visitor's experience by pacing them through the space and adding texture to the storyline of the exhibition. My exhibition project explores how the Tenement Museum could translate an online initiative to a public space to tell the stories of American immigration with accompanying music that would pace and engage visitors. The Tenement Museum is known for being an advocate for immigration and has a clear mission to value and embrace the role of immigrants in the country. Although the exhibitions in the museum are focused on the stories of immigrant families who lived in the tenements between 1870 and1970, I proposed an exhibition on immigration told through the personal stories of people from all over the country and their immigrant experience with the aim of providing a current survey of the topic and spreading the museum's mission outdoors. Considering music is a very intentional tool, it is important that it corresponds with the message the institution is trying to convey. This exhibition is a free and shared experience located in a public park, with accompanying music. I created a storyline based on the journey of the immigrant, from making the decision of moving to settle in a new country, through the use of personal objects that tell stories of individuals in each step of the way. All the stories I chose are archetypal stories that are relatable for everyone, even for those who don't have traces of immigration in their families. The experience is clearly divided into beginning, climax, and resolution, and the tempo of the accompanying music changes throughout these areas. The change in tempo purposely varies the pace of the visitors and the level of emotional engagement as desired. A slower pace in the beginning and the final areas for a reflective state from the visitor, and a faster pace in the climax for a more impactful reaction. During my thesis adjudication, industry professionals indicated the addition of music as a valuable asset and noted the need for a music expert to move forward with the application of this theory.
- Subject
- Lower East Side Tenement Museum
- Immigrants
- Museum exhibits
- Music in museums
- Sound in museum exhibits
- Music--Psychological aspects
- Museum visitors
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: etd_000877
- pqdiss: 28314765
- ISBN: 9798569907731
- Language
- eng
- Publisher
- Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Citation
Moscardó, C. (2020). Traces: Story of a Nation [Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York]. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/3982
Moscardó, Cecilia. Traces: Story of a Nation. 2020. Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, Master's thesis. FIT Institutional Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/3982
Moscardó, Cecilia. "Traces: Story of a Nation." Master's thesis, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 2020. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/3982