The Research and Development department at NEMO, headed by professor Maartje Raijmakers (Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam and endowed professor at NCWT/Science Center NEMO ) and Rooske Franse (NEMO science learning centre), asked the Readership Strategic Creativity at Design Academy Eindhoven to contribute to their interactive installations with prototypes on non existing (fictional) phenomena.
A group of 8 students across the various departments of Design Academy Eindhoven were coached by Research Associates Karianne Rygh and Michelle Baggerman, who created a fictional entity Quidam that they presented to the students. The students were asked to create installations that stimulate interactions and focus on the relation between learning, playing as well as the involvement of both the parents and their kids, which is especially interesting since in Quidam no one has advantage knowledge.
The Design Research Space resulted in 3 prototypes: with the installation boxes Novus (that fall from outer space) kids need to explore the hidden phenomena in each box. When they decipher the code they start to understand Novus. Another group of students created an interactive smell game: New chef for Snoutus. The kids were asked detect a prepared meal by finding a combination of non existing smells. The third group created a liquid planet Antarcis that challenged the visitors to explore viscosity and elasticity by playing with liquids.
Based on these prototoypes, Karianne Rygh and Michelle Baggerman will proceed their research project for NEMO.