National War Memorial Museum

Narrative Design | 360 degree video | Museum Design | Interactive Design

Introduction

National War Memorial Museum is conceptual spatial project that delves into the reasons of any war and challenges the idea of "winning" the war. For research, I looked at multiple war museums. According to my understanding, these museums are trying to instill sense of pride, patriotism, nationalism by glorifying the wars won. What I noticed was that none of these museums talked about how difficult is for a soldier to go through a war or how they view it. The museum didn’t talk about rehabilitation for them or how would they find a job after a battle. These museums didn’t highlight the effect of a particular war on the surrounding villages and damages done to it due to violence.

Who benefits from a war?

Who gives us the right to kill?

Is it something to be proud of?

Mission

The museum’s mission is to invite artists and designers to build experiences, through any media, of ethical dilemmas that would question ones stance on war and conflict, question the notion of “winning” the war, question the meaning of patriotism thats coming from the war etc. It aims to conduct workshops, especially for the age group of 17-23, on multiple topics like global citizenship, diversity, intersectional identities etc. The mission is also to provide assistance and resources for help to those who are affected by wars and conflicts.

Vision

The museum’s vision is to shape a future where wars are not used to instill pride, nationalism or patriotism but it is seen as a failure of empathy, humanity and diplomacy.

Visitor Flow Plan

Visitors can choose to enter from any two pathways. This is done, so that people who have PTSD from the war or conflict, may not want to experience it again, can choose an alternative pathway. The narrative of the museum is non linear so the visitors can go or not go to any exhibit they like.

Visuals

Reception

Exhibit 1: Controlled Narrative and War Correspondents

The visitor experiences the scene of war while the world leaders are talking about "winning" the wars. It questions the pride and the cost that comes with it.

Exhibit 2: The Bloody Money Casino

Here the visitor is in a casino as a soldier or as an arms manufacturer. They play on the slot machines and at the end, they can see who profited more.

Buffer Zone

Exhibit 3: Civilians

Here, the personal items of soldiers are preserved and displayed to humanize their sacrifice

Exhibit 4: Community

This is the space where visitors can ponder over what they have experienced and have discussions with one another. The resources for veterans will be available here. The space can be used for group sessions by veterans and school students.

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