Exploring Interactive Media and Communication Design in Public Space
As part of one of our class activities, I visited the “Demokratie! Heast?!” exhibition at the Graz Museum. The exhibition focuses on how people can participate and express their opinions in today’s world. It was an interesting mix of media, sound, and interaction not a typical museum experience, but something that invited visitors to think and take part.
I spent around two hours there with my classmates, and what I really liked was how interactive the whole exhibition was. Instead of just reading information or looking at objects, we were encouraged to touch, listen, and move around. The space felt like a combination of education and play serious topics presented in a way that was easy to connect with.
One installation that impressed me most was the cat in the glass box. At first, I thought it was just a decoration, but then we were asked to stand in a specific spot, and different text, effects and items suddenly came to life through projection. It wasn’t a real cat inside of course. meanwhile items looked really impressive and worked really well in concept with the “fake cat sculpture” because of the way the inside projector worked with the glass and light. The installation explained — the famous theory about whether the cat in a closed box is dead or alive until observed. It was a smart way to explain a complex idea visually, and it made me curious about how the projection was created and synchronized with the model.
From work perspective, this installation gave me a strong impulse for my own research. It showed how interactive project can be designed and how storytelling can transform abstract theories into something understandable and engaging. I also started thinking about how projection mapping and AR could be used in similar ways to make hidden information visible, or to give digital “life” to physical objects.
Another part that I found inspiring/interesting was how the exhibition balanced education and experience. The topic of theories, history and research can feel complicated or even boring if presented traditionally, but the designers of the exhibition managed to make it approachable. The use of visuals, sound, and space created a rhythm that kept people engaged.
I would like to learn more about the technical side of installations like the cat box but I could not find anything similar in YouTube ( explanation videos ) — how the projection system works inside the glassed box , how motion and light are timed, and what software was used. It is really interesting how much work goes into combining artistic ideas with technical precision, something I also want to explore in my AR prototype development.
So overall “Demokratie! Heast?!” didn’t just show information it made people feel involved in it and work for creating something with people and share it maybe even on social media just like I did with the picture I uploaded here.
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