AMNH Digital Totem

Hand carved totems are a symbol of legendry and storytelling in tribes of the Pacific Northwest. When the American Museum of Natural History came to us to add a digital installation to their Hall of Pacific Peoples, we chose to honor the tradition of the totem pole by bringing together first-person storytelling, sounds, places, objects and voices of tribe members into an interactive application that encourages visitors to dive deep and explore the vast cultural history of the region.

This is what we did

Exhibit Design

UX/UI

Interaction Design

Visual Identity

Inside the app

Section 1: Places

Touch to start

Section 2: People

Select a person to see their story

Section 3: Objects

View objects from the gallery in 360 degrees and learn more about their significance

Section 4: Sounds

Click sounds to create your own Northwest Coast soundscape

Exhibit Success

The digital totem is seen by over 5 million museum visitors every year, the installation successfully increased visibility and foot traffic to a previously lesser known gallery. The interactive exhibit helped transport the American Museum of Natural History into the contemporary age, and for the first time, allowed visitors to interact one-on-one with exhibited objects.