WOW! then AHA!

The New Year often brings big, celebratory fireworks shows.

I love fireworks -- you can hear the crowds ooh and ahh as each new shell explodes and sends a splash of colors and light across the sky.  As people leave the show, many of them will exclaim "Wow! that was great!"

Fireworks are usually a "one and done" type experience. A big WOW while they are happening, but not much afterthought given to the experience.  And that's fine.

Your felt future, 2011 by Olafur Eliasson

The work of one of my favorite contemporary artists, Olafur Eliasson, has been described as "first there is a WOW! followed by an AHA!"

There is a visual (and often visceral) thrill in encountering Eliasson's artwork (WOW!) but then a need to step back and think about (or often, figure out) what's going on (AHA!)

One of my New Year exhibit "resolutions" is to find (or create) a rhythm of exhibits and experiences in my museum projects so that there are plenty of WOWs, but also many AHAs.

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Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

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