Dark Room Experience at Alice Austen House
Context
Alice Austen’s original darkroom—a cramped, low-ceilinged corner of her historic home—is closed to the public for safety and accessibility reasons. Yet it was the heart of her photographic process and central to her story.
Role
Project Manager | Creative & Experiential Strategy| Content Design
Tools
Fusion 360, CNC, 3D Printing, Web AR
Team
Team of 8 (producer, UI designer, engineer, fabricator, 3D modeler )
Challenge
We were asked to create a physical experience in the corner of first floor staircase to would communicate the feeling of working in Austen’s darkroom—within a tight, dark, and low clearance space. The solution needed to meet accessibility needs, speak to a wide age range (including primary school students), and align with the museum’s interpretive goals.
Objective
Design a layered, interactive, physical experience that conveys the physicality of the darkroom while offering an educational on-ramp to Alice’s photographic process.
Insight + Strategy
Instead of re-creating the room, we used abstraction and scale to translates its environment and constraints. Based on a 3D spatial scan of the darkroom, we fabricated a floor-to-ceiling CNC-milled relief that mirrors its structure and tightness. This relief also serves as a tactical picture of the room, allowing visitors of all abilities to run their hands through to feel the spatial relationships.
We interviewed various stakeholders, including museum educators, and developed an Augumented Reality (AR) experience which work with 3D-printed miniatures of the space. This gives younger visitors something interactive to explore while keeping the information bite size and approachable yet layered for the “reader” visitors. The web-based AR layer introduces the steps of Austen’s photo development process through animated visuals and interactive models of the equipment involved and is both mobile and tablet responsive.
We interviewed various stakeholders, including museum educators, and developed an Augumented Reality (AR) experience which work with 3D-printed miniatures of the space. This gives younger visitors something interactive to explore while keeping the information bite size and approachable yet layered for the “reader” visitors. The web-based AR layer introduces the steps of Austen’s photo development process through animated visuals and interactive models of the equipment involved and is both mobile and tablet responsive.
Experience Design Goals
1: Translate spatial limitations into a compelling and accessible physical form
2: Appeal across age groups, from curious children to adult history enthusiasts
3: Connect physical space to process, offering entry points into photographic storytelling
2: Appeal across age groups, from curious children to adult history enthusiasts
3: Connect physical space to process, offering entry points into photographic storytelling
Outcome
The installation has become a highlight of the museum’s educational tours. Educators report it not only helps emphasize the physical challenges Austen faced but also makes it easier to introduce students to the photo development process in an engaging, memorable way.
