Engaging through Co-design in the science museum

Abstract

A co-design process that holds the potential to facilitate museum engagement will be the topic of this article. I report from a series of workshops called ‘Science, Identity and Belonging’, during which a group of museum professionals worked together with young people to co-design a museum activity. The focal point will be the way engagement materializes in the meeting between museum and youths in a creative development process of a digital installation parallel to the making of a temporary exhibition. 

The co-design process in this case led to a product; a digital sound installation that complements and connects to the exhibition FOLK – From race types to DNA sequences. I will explore engagement throughout the co-design process, looking more closely at challenges and possibilities while considering that both the museum professionals and the young people brought with them their own engagement into the process. A core theme to address will be the way the meetings between youths and museum staff hold a potential to engage, and how during a long-term partnership other relations emerge. This will foster an awareness about ways of programming museum collaborations with the purpose of engaging youths in design of museum activities and programs.