The Importance Of Interaction In Making Things Interesting

I mean this when I say, anything that involves interaction, always makes things more memorable and more engaging

This is why I always try to incorporate it in my infographic work.



Recently, I went to the Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors Exhibition at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario). The show was heavily advertised and over-hyped to the point where ticket line-ups were longer than the ones at Justin Bieber concerts.



More waiting was required during the actual exhibition. Each mirror room required around 20 minutes of waiting in line, only to be disappointed with a short 30 second spent in a room with some mirrors and lights.





Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the amazing effort from Yayoi Kusama to work with curators to set up this historical exhibition. The fact that she is nearly 90 years old and still working is extraordinary.

However, the extremely long wait times combined with the limited short duration for time spent in each room killed all the excitement.

I mean...would you be super-excited to see some lights you could have put up from Ikea after waiting in a 20 minute long line up???


BUT!!!




THIS! THIS WAS EXCITING!

This sticker-dotted room was not even part of the mirror rooms (which were the most hyped part of the exhibition). This was the room leading to the exit of the exhibition.

 

THIS WAS THE BEST PART!

The spectacular splatter of colour in this room made this visually appealing.

BUT THE INTERACTION MADE THIS MEMORABLE!



1) We were given a sheet of circle-shaped stickers.



2) We could stick them to any objects in the room!



3) You could even sit on this sofa!



YOU DIDN'T SEE THE ART, YOU ARE THE ART!

Thats why I believed this was the best part of the exhibition. Even as you scrolled through these images on this blog, the images that captured your attention were probably the ones of this piece, not the images of lights in a dark room.

It is because this piece is something different, but more importantly, something engaging. When we see the same things over and over again we get bored. This seems to be the case with lights. Lights are used in almost every festival, and celebration, and we have most likely seen it too many times to care.

However, the sticker-dotted room was something we don't usually see. The interaction part is what enhanced the memorability of the experience. You were part of the art by putting stickers in the room. You were fully immersed because you could touch the art. The mirror rooms did not allow either.