An interactive exhibition done for AIGA's annual 50 books/50 covers exhibition which presents 50 best book covers and book designs for the year. The exhibition was designed to create a conversation around the meaning of a book for people, in this digital age.
There were several components to the exhibition which worked together to gather reactions from people and visually integrate them in the space.
The online component http://whatthebook.org is designed as a series of tightly curated click-through question designed to elicit strong 'agree' or 'disagree' reaction, along with ann opportunity to let one create a new and personal definition to a book, which is then changed daily in the physical space.
The center point of the exhibition is an interactive bookshelf with each shelf representing a question, to which one can express their agreement or disagreement but shelving a book in the appropriate shelves. At the end of each day the shelf is documented and cleared to capture the next day's reactions.
Through the website which has managed to gather over a thousand definitions and more than 3000 unique visits, and the daily documentation, the project aims to create some visible data as an addition to the ongoing conversation about the book.
The project was shortlisted for the final round in Engaging section of The Interaction Design Awards 2013.
Lead Designer: Barbara deWilde; Designer and Developer:Tony Chu; Designer: Tom Hubben; Designer: Michael Yap.
Photography: © 2011 Mark Dye.