This article was written as part of a series of Design Retrospectives on the prototypes commissioned by Cooper Hewitt’s Interaction Lab for the Activating Smithsonian Open Access Challenge. …

Activating Smithsonian Open Access (ASOA) was born from a conversation that took place in June of 2020, while much of the world was locked down. …

A note: This article was co-written by Angela Perrone, Katherine Miller, and Rachel Ginsberg before the events of the past few weeks, in a world that feels yet again very different. Rather than rewriting, we’ve decided to publish as is. …

When we first began to build out our plans for the Interaction Lab, we were already certain public programs would play a big role in our work. We conceived of our public programs to convene a variety of audiences for shared learning, exploration, and discussion on topics related to our…

Amanda Hess wrote a very smart piece in the NY Times that does a great job of teasing out many problematic aspects of the kinds of experiences (think: “museums”, “factories” and “mansions”) now common in NYC and other big cities. …

This is a topic that you’re going to hear a lot about from me. It’s been deeply on my mind for the past couple years, and lately so, in overdrive. I’m not going to say too much here, but have a listen, and let me know what you think. https://soundcloud.com/rachel-ginsberg-389620735/thoughts-on-self-forgiveness Also, early notice — I’ll be hosting the first Stories of Personal Growth dinner party this October 18th. Attendance will be limited to 7 guests, all of whom need to be strangers to each other. I’ll be sending out more information about it via my mailing list. If you haven’t yet signed up for that, you can do so here.

Even 200 years after its publication, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein still resonates. This brilliant story gave birth to science fiction as a genre, and today is a commonly cited, and powerful metaphor through which to explore our collective anxieties about technology, and its capacity to escape our control. For exactly this…

Of course it makes sense that a definitive exhibition on David Bowie would have a significant sound design element to it, but somehow the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. So, when I walked into the space was handed a set of headphones, I laughed quietly to myself. I should tell…

After hearing everyone raving about Nanette, Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special, I finally made some time to watch it. She said so many things that resonated for me, but by far and away the most compelling was her analysis of how telling jokes about her life had influenced the way she…