Kitchener’s THEMUSEUM partners with Conestoga College on content and branding for new exhibition

In March 2023, THEMUSEUM opened its permanent immersive gallery, EYEPOOL, and the interactive experience has delighted guests ever since. Recently, the venue partnered with Conestoga College and students in its School of Creative Industries Graphic Design program to develop new branding and digital content for the gallery.  

Titled CURRENT, the content is connected through the theme of water. “Different phases of the exhibition reveal the theme in diverse and introspective ways,” explains THEMUSEUM’s Laurel McKellar. Each phase was designed by a student group from the college. 

CURRENT begins as guests step through an archway into another world. Using cutting-edge technology, including Christie 1DLP^® projectors, and beautifully designed animations, CURRENT allows guests to reflect on themselves and the world around them.  Guests dive in and enjoy 13 different water-themed phases in the exhibition.  Each phase or scene is unique, with interactive elements and its own soundscape.  

Working with students from Conestoga College 

Content development began long before the exhibit opened earlier this year. “THEMUSEUM team started meeting with Conestoga College faculty at the beginning of 2023. We had the idea of a water theme early on as it was one that would appeal to a broad demographic of our audiences and be flexible enough for the students to reflect on, manipulate, and interpret,” says Laurel. “We met with the students at the beginning of the September 2023 semester and throughout, in order for the projects to be ready for the new year.” 

Each year, teams of second- and third-year students collaborate on large-scale design system projects, and the EYEPOOL project presented a great learning experience for the students by working with a client, creating identities and branding, and using new technologies to build immersive experiences for the community. 

“This program collaboration creates professional development opportunities for the students as beginners in the creative industries sector and allows THEMUSEUM to showcase emerging artists’ work to our audiences,” says Laurel. “The students gain skills in concept creation and how these concepts translate into real space.”   

The student groups each designed a unique brand for the exhibition, with various promotional materials – social media copy, brand guidelines, and catalog information.  Ultimately one brand, CURRENT, was selected to showcase the 13 phases of the exhibition.    

The students were thrilled to see the results of their hard work at the opening of CURRENT and appreciate the experience it gave them. “Because the project was so open it was hard to know where to start. And there’s also new technology involved, which is a really great real-world scenario because we’re always going to have it as part of our skill set,” says Katia Jellicoe, a member of one of the student teams. “It was really cool to see something that exists in a more digital space, but actually see it projected in the real world.” 

“It was a really fun, really unique feeling,” says student Hailey Vanleeuwen. “It’s the first time that something I’ve done in this program has been out in the real world … It was a long process to get there, but that final product is super awesome and it’s just a really cool experience.” 

What’s ahead for EYEPOOL? 

“We are now looking to next September for the second iteration of the partnership, which may take on more of an opportunity to work together with students in the animation program to further develop the creative content for the gallery,” says Laurel. 

We can’t wait to see the creativity that the next cohort of students bring to THEMUSEUM. 

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