Mini Assignment 2: Dusk at the Museum

When I stepped into the Burke Museum, the first thing came to me was the check-in counter. Its social-distancing signage directly showed me an important element of this museum - the indigenous culture.

The first floor was exactly about indigenous community. For the most part, the museum has set an intuitive viewing flow, with people walking in through the nearest door, following the path surrounded by the exhibits, naturally viewing them all and exiting through the door on the other side. The Burke Museum sometimes divides exhibits into zones within such flows so that visitors can learn about the stories and knowledge behind the exhibits in an organized way by section.

Besides simply displaying exhibits on shelves, The Burke Museum makes great use of air space. This makes the overall layout of the space more varied and interesting, while also makes it possible to create some scenarios subject to the theme.

Despite most exhibits are visually depicted in glass displays, some of them impressed me greatly by how the designers considered the integration between the exhibits and the environment.

The circular display is embedded in a wooden panel that separates areas, and this see-through window both increases the integrity of the different areas and naturally draws people’s attention to the exhibits inside.

Another interesting observation is that this transparent panel has words “Life is Linked”, and behind it there are some “Links” extending out, which are actually connecting several creature models. I don’t know if this was a deliberate design, but it did create an “Aha Moment” for me.

I also like how the Burke Museum has arranged the exhibits across floors. This design blurs the floor height and makes the space appear larger, while also making the exhibits more overwhelming.