Instructor: Nancy Hechinger
The Josenon Dynasty Museum and Research center  

The Full Immersion of Visitors Into The Life Within A Josenon Dynasty Era Village/ Town:

Within my personal design manifesto I asked the question how do you create a spark of interest, a spark of motivation for visitors to learn more about any subject matter that they may encounter in any exhibition or museum. I answered that question by first stating the fact that I believed that this spark is within every visitor but its is through the overall design of and use of the environment within the exhibition space in which this spark can become present within the visitors thoughts.

I then acknowledged that attempting to help the visitor realize this spark was indeed a very complex question but it my personal belief that the process of full immersing visitors into the overall experience of the exhibit allows for a deeper sense of connection, a greater sense of awareness and a deeper appreciation by the visitors of the exhibition matter, thus enabling the creation of this spark of interest.

I felt this firsthand on my recent trip to Korea. I was both excited about this adventure because I did not know the language or customs and everything was new to me expect the food. It was two events within this unfamiliar environment that sparked my interest in the Josenon Dynasty. The first event occurred when I was touring the Korea Folk Museum and noticed some very beautiful books and a brief description of the dynasty and the second event occurred when my tour guide spoke about the accomplishments of this dynasty when I was at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. These two events helped create a spark of interest in me which allowed me to further research the Josenon Dynasty on my own. I truly believe that through careful design and use of the environment within the exhibition space you can truly help create that spark of interest, which can become present within the visitors thoughts.

I believe that through the immersion of visitors into a Josenon Dynasty ear village or town, they can truly experience, understand and even appreciate the richness of this culture. I believe that thorough the use of dioramas and use of actors to portray inhabitants of this village, the visitors can interact and learn more about certain matters of interest to them at their own pace.

The overall goal of this museum to enable that sense of interest within each vistor by the use of dioramas and other mechanisms of self-directed discovery as well as the full immersion of the visitors into the Yi Dynasty village. I blieve that this type of museum design and experience will allow vistors to feel a deeper a greater sense of awareness and appreciation of this portion of Korean history.