The Museum of Feelings
By Rene Mitchell
The Museum of Feelings, a pop-up installation located in Battery Park City in lower Manhattan, is bringing a new approach to art through emotional interaction.
The Museum of Feelings, not a museum at all but instead an interactive advertisement for Glade products, requires the use of the five senses to engage in the attraction. It consists of five different exhibits, Optimistic, Joyful, Invigorated, Exhilarated, and Calm, and each has its own unique scent and visuals. Each scent is a part of Glade’s new line of candles and air fresheners.
Visitors are given a description of the exhibit, warnings prior to entering each room and a pair of 3D glasses to intensify the emotional interaction.
In the “Joyful” room, visitors are surrounded by whimsical hanging green lights that look like jellyfish tentacles. The room smells like a crisp forest with scents of pine needles, balsam and fir. The sights and smells create a joyful feeling just as expected.
The makeshift attraction generated a lot of positive feedback on social media. The #MuseumofFeelings hashtag on Instagram is filled with bright, angular photos that visitors took during their 15-minute tour through each room.
Social media affects the appearance of the Museum of Feelings also. Data is gathered to determine the feel of NYC, which is then reflected on the body of the building in the form of colors.
At the end of the tour, visitors are able to experience the scents one last time and take selfies to determine what mood he or she is in.
This free three-week (November 24- December 15) long exhibition has brought in several thousands of visitors since the opening. December 5th was the busiest day with 3,000 people waiting in a four-hour line.
“I really enjoyed the interaction,“ said Carolyn Wilde, a New York City native and mother. “I am really happy that my kids could enjoy it too.”
Amber DeLuis, a 23-year-old student at Bronx Community College, said the best part about the museum was dancing in the Exhilarated room. “The vibe was just perfect,” said DeLuis. “It was obvious that everybody was enjoying the experience.”