film manipulation museum
a museum experience on Matthew Cetta's experimental art works
Role
Interaction Designer
UX Researcher
Illustrator and animator
Duration
August '24 -December '24
Team
Atharva Chavan
Callista Faustine
Sakshi Khillari
Sumedha Kulkarni
Tanvi Gawande
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Procreate
the context
How do you teach people that imperfection can be beautiful? My team and I designed a museum experience at Tate Modern (London) inspired by experimental photographer Matthew Cetta, known for manipulating film with boiling, freezing, and even cough syrup. Our goal: expose visitors to film manipulation as a playful, hands-on way of self-expression, not a dry tutorial.
museum goal
Exposing visitors to film manipulation methods through tangible interactions.
challenge
Visitors initially felt overwhelmed by too many techniques of film manipulation. We had to:
Simplify without diluting Cetta’s experimental spirit.
Create interactions that invite play and reflection, not just observation.
Balance digital metaphors with tactile, embodied learning.
target audience
Artists and creatives who like experimenting and value process over perfection. Through our interviews, we found out that photographers have a strong identity and personal style. Thus, we wanted this exhibition for artists and creatives to experiment with a new style of artistic form or to provide them with inspiration.
the museum experience
The final museum design takes visitors on a step-by-step journey through Matthew Cetta’s experimental process. From cracking through tradition in Break the Mould to motion-based emulsion effects, playful chemical distortions in The Film Soup, reflective moments along The Drying Line, and the surprise keepsake in The Trail, each room invites active participation. The experience is immersive, interactive, and personal; transforming visitors from observers into creators of their own manipulated art.
cultural probe
We probed 5 participants for the cultural probe to better understand their emotional and narrative connection from their memories and experiences.
The cultural probe revealed:
Memories: Participants reflected most on family, childhood, and travel.
Time lens: They focused on past and future, rarely the present.
Delight: Surprise moments created joy, while fewer choices encouraged deeper engagement.
sketches & prototypes
Artists and creatives who like experimenting and value process over perfection. Through our interviews, we found out that photographers have a strong identity and personal style. Thus, we wanted this exhibition for artists and creatives to experiment with a new style of artistic form or to provide them with inspiration.
interactions & learning goals
We probed 5 participants for the cultural probe to better understand their emotional and narrative connection from their memories and experiences.
break the mould
What it is
A cracked wall installation introducing Cetta’s manipulated photographs.
How people interact
Using proxemics, the crack widens as visitors step closer and orient themselves, gradually revealing the hidden images.
Outcome
A metaphor for breaking tradition, sparking curiosity, and setting the tone for experimental exploration.
emulsion
What it is
A gesture-based installation simulating burned, frozen, and electrified film effects.
How people interact
Visitors move their hands before motion sensors, triggering unpredictable streaks, bleeds and distortions.
Outcome
Embodied interaction emphasizes the fragility and unpredictability of film emulsion.
film soup
What it is
An interactive display simulating chemical manipulation of film.
How people interact
Visitors press buttons to release different "chemicals" across a glass panel, instantly altering the image beneath.
Outcome
Reveals how chemicals can transform photographs, encouraging purposeful experimentation and reflecting Cetta's link between distortion, identity, and emotion.
the drying line
What it is
A hallway modeled after a darkroom print drying line.
How people interact
Using proxemics, prints remain blacked out until visitors step closer, revealing images as if freshly developed.
Outcome
Creates a steady, immersive flow that shifts focus to the final product, mirroring the anticipation of darkroom photography.
the trail
What it is
A closing installation that turns each visitor's movement into a manipulated photograph.
How people interact
Camera track their path in real time, translating pauses and steps into visual effects. At the end, visitors receive a postcard print of their trail.
Outcome
A personalized keepsake that captures their journey, serving as both artwork and physical memorabilia of the museum experience.
reflections
As a team, we enjoyed learning together through prototyping, discussing, researching and brainstorming. This project helped us understand how a complex matter can be made relatable through simple interactions. It was challenging to balance tangible technology with intangible learnings and find ways to make the interactions feel connected rather than removed. As experimentation in any art form is abstract and subjective, we had a challenge in front of us when we wanted to convert that abstract learning through tangible interactions.