Prototype: The Experimental Museum
On November 1, the nation's first experimental museum opens its doors in Columbus. Prototype: The Experimental Museum is an adventure you have to see to believe. With six rooms filled with tech exhibits, a full cocktail bar and stimulating sights and sounds around each corner, the concept reimagines the museum experience.
The museum was brought to life by Roto, a museum exhibit design and fabrication firm based in Dublin, Ohio, which has worked on exhibits for the Smithsonian Museums, COSI and more. CEO and Founder Joseph Wisne says experimentation and iteration are essential to any creative field, much like filmmaking, where collaboration and continual refinement lead to the final product.
"We've got all kinds of platforms here on which to experiment, and that is why the project's called prototype," he says.
Located on the Whittier Peninsula at 540 Maier Pl., Prototype features an ever-evolving selection of immersive exhibits, from modern art to psychological experiments. In room one, visitors can step into a structure that simulates the feeling of being on a never-ending elevator ride through sound, vibrations and light. In another room, they can test their abilities to build a rocket ship.
Prototype: The Experimental Museum
The museum caters to adults and young adults, and it is restricted to visitors 16 years and older. Visitors ages 13-15 can attend with adult supervision. Hourly attendance is capped at 80 per hour, allowing visitors to explore the spaces without feeling crammed.
The museum invites visitor feedback, encouraging guests to become active collaborators in refining current exhibits and inspiring future ones. No exhibit is in its permanent form. Rather, it is waiting to be reformed by those who experience it.
"It's meant to challenge what you think a normal museum experience is for. So this is going to be something that's very important for receiving feedback from the community and those who visit," Roto Project Manager Natalie Pettit says. "What you're seeing today is just version one."
Megan Brokamp is an editor for CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com.
