museum.coolhunt is a blog about the details that enhance the museum visit, from my perspective as an industrial designer and art historian.
During a Coolhunting workshop in 2016, I realized I had been collecting cool material from my museum explorations. This website and my Instagram account are the results of my wish to share these findings. When I visit museums, I don't just look at the artworks. I observe the whole museum atmosphere: lighting, labels, background colors, maps, seats, navigation, souvenir shop... and all the innovative features that make the museum visit a creative and memorable experience.
I share curious anecdotes and short reviews from past and present trips, hoping to inspire others to challenge their traditional ways of approaching museums. More than educational and entertainment institutions, museums can be strategic places to inspire your creative side and get in touch with the cool.
But what is cool?
My primary reference is Malcolm Gladwell's article, published in The New Yorker in 1997. In this text, Gladwell introduces coolhunting as a concept and postulates three rules to discover the cool:
the first rule says that it cannot accurately be observed at all.
the second rule says that cool cannot be manufactured, only observed.
the third says that it can only be observed by those who are themselves cool.
I invite you to think cool and visit museums looking for original and unfamiliar design and experiences.
Amelia.