EXHIBITION: TECHNOLOGY + HUMAN: CRAFTING THE INNOVATORS OF TOMORROW
A human-centered exhibition for Nan’s youth that explores technology as an extension of human capability through a question-driven narrative, designed to inspire creative thinking and a creator’s mindset
ชื่องาน:
นิทรรศการ เทคโนโลยีกับมนุษย์: สู่นักสร้างสรรค์แห่งวันพรุ่งนี้
Client:
มูลนิธิเพาะพันธุ์ปัญญา
Pohpunpanya Foundation
Location:
ศูนย์การเรียนรู้นันทสิปปาคาร
Nantha Sippakhan Learning Center
Nan, Thailand
Completion Date:
December 2025
Scope of Service:
Exhibition Design
Project Team:
Design & Creative Direction • Studio Aeroplane
Content Development • Studio Aeroplane
Curation • Studio Aeroplane & Rakluke Edutex
Production • Rakluke Edutex
Illustration • ZeroTwo Studio
Text • Studio Aeroplane & Rakluke Edutex
Editorial • Studio Aeroplane
Lighting Design • Rakluke Edutex
Sound Design • Studio Aeroplane
Scent Design • Scent and Sense Laboratory
Housed within the newly built Nantha Sippakhan Learning Center in Nan, this exhibition is part of an educational curriculum developed by the Pohpunpanya Foundation. Its mission is to serve as a platform where local children and youth can learn about their past, present, and future.
The exhibition, Technology + Human: Crafting the Innovators of Tomorrow, invites visitors to rethink technology by examining the human-technology relationship. This concept is guided by an underlying dialogue that balances appreciation for local resources with the ambition to shape a better future. Ultimately, the design aims to create a space that encourages self-motivation, self-reflection, and a sense of curiosity. While integrated into the foundation's educational activities, the exhibition is also open to the general public.
“เข้าใจเทคโนโลยี เข้าใจมนุษย์ ผ่านคำถาม
สำรวจความสัมพันธ์ เครื่องมือกับมนุษย์ ผ่านความสงสัย
ท้าทายตัวเอง จากผู้ตามสู่ผู้สร้างสรรค์ เพื่อมองออกไป
จากสงสัย เข้าใจ สู่การลงมือทำ”
แนวคิดของงาน:
เทคโนโลยีกับมนุษย์: สู่นักสร้างสรรค์แห่งวันพรุ่งนี้ นำนิยามของ “เทคโนโลยี” กลับมาทบทวนผ่านมุมมองที่มีมนุษย์เป็นศูนย์กลาง แนวคิดของนิทรรศการถูกพัฒนาขึ้นจากพื้นฐานที่ว่า เทคโนโลยีคือกระบวนการที่ถูกสร้างขึ้น เพื่อขยายขีดความสามารถของร่างกาย ความคิด และความสัมพันธ์ของมนุษย์
จากรากศัพท์ภาษากรีก τεχνολογία (tekhnologia)
τέχνη (tekhnē) แปลว่า “ศิลปะ” “งานฝีมือ” หรือ “ทักษะ”
λογία (logía) แปลว่า “การใช้เหตุผล” “การศึกษา” หรือ “วิทยาการ”
รวมความหมายได้เป็น “ความรู้ความเข้าใจเกี่ยวกับการประดิษฐ์และการลงมือทำ”
นิทรรศการขนาดกะทัดรัดแห่งนี้จึงทำหน้าที่เป็นพื้นที่เรียนรู้ผ่านการคิดและลงมือทำ กระตุ้นให้ผู้ชมสำรวจและทำความเข้าใจสิ่งรอบตัว และเป็นสภาพแวดล้อมที่ช่วยให้ผู้ชมได้สนุกกับความสงสัย จากคำถามเล็ก ๆ ในชีวิตประจำวัน แล้วกลับออกไปพร้อมมุมมองใหม่ มองเห็นความเป็นไปได้ในการสร้างอนาคตได้กว้างกว่าเดิม
Designing for Flow and Flexibility:
To accommodate groups of 20 or more students within a 145-sq.m. area, the exhibition utilizes a non-linear narrative and an open floor plan, facilitating flexible circulation throughout the space. Divided into four zones: Introduction, Understand, Explore, and Challenge, the layout enables multiple visitors to participate in all activities simultaneously.
Zone 0: Introduction
The core concepts are presented in this zone to prepare visitors for a self-guided exploration. Drawing from Marshall McLuhan's concept of "technology as an extension of man," the exhibition opens with two foundational ideas:
- Creativity begins with curiosity.
- Technology = Science + Imagination.
This zone also features "A Practice Guide for a Future Creator," developed from the key ideas of The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Clayton Christensen, Hal B. Gregersen, and Jeff Dyer. This guide equips visitors with the mindset necessary for their journey through the exhibition—and the world beyond.
Zone A: Understand
Understanding technology by understanding human limits
By acknowledging human physical and cognitive limits, visitors can better understand how technology functions as an extension of human capability. This concept is explored through the "Understanding the Human Body" game, an interactive installation that invites participants to take a closer look at the human body, the mind, and their boundaries through a series of trivia questions.
Zone B: Explore
Exploring the relationship between humans and technology through curiosity
This zone showcases a curated collection of objects that demonstrate how human curiosity, amplified by science and imagination, reflects our fundamental desire to extend the capabilities of our senses. The objects are organized into a 90-unit matrix on the "Technology and the Six Senses Table" along two axes:
- The Human Axis: Maps the senses—Tongue, Nose, Ears, Eyes, Body, and Mind.
- The Technology Axis: Categorizes innovations into five groups—Human & Nature, Craft & Mechanics, Systems & Processes, Data & Intelligence, and Life & Humanity.
This matrix structure ensures curatorial inclusivity, allowing visitors of all ages and backgrounds to find a point of personal connection.
Furthermore, to resonate with the youth of Nan, a mountainous province in Northern Thailand, the curatorial strategy prioritizes “small parts with big impacts.” By showcasing resource-efficient inventions, from foundational mechanics like tracks and wheels to digital icons like emoticons, and from the quartz crystals in watches to the Nobel-winning blue LEDs, the exhibit demonstrates how modest components can revolutionize the world and that great innovation is within reach for everyone, regardless of their resources.
The Curiosity Booklets:
Each object is accompanied by descriptive text presented in booklets along the perimeter of the table. To cultivate a creator’s mindset, each entry opens with a question that challenges visitors to think critically about the object. The questions are formatted to begin by identifying a specific drive, whether a problem or an opportunity, and conclude with the innovator’s objective. For example:
- Inuit Goggles: "When blinding sunlight reflects off the snow, what can we do to shield our eyes and prevent snow blindness?"
- Stethoscope: "The body’s internal rhythms reveal vital health data; what can we do to listen to them non-invasively?"
- Mask and Snorkel: "The underwater world is mysterious and fascinating; what can we do to stay submerged long enough to appreciate it?"
By hiding the questions inside the booklets while the objects remain visible on the table, the exhibit takes inspiration from the game show, Jeopardy!. Visitors would see the solution first, prompting them to work backward to discover the challenge or opportunity behind each invention.
This zone further expands on the concept of technology as an extension of human capability through two short video presentations:
"Do-It-Yourself Technology" (เทคโนโลยีแบบบ้านบ้าน): Highlights twelve homemade tools that showcase everyday creativity in solving problems.
"Technology by Animals" (เทคโนโลยีแบบสัตว์โลก): Explores twelve animals that master tool-making to extend their capabilities beyond natural limits.
Zone C: Challenge
Challenging ourselves, from observers to creators
This zone serves as an open canvas for collective imagination, encouraging visitors to shift from observing to creating. Visitors are invited to draw or write their "dream inventions" as a gift to the Nan community, which are then showcased on an on-screen gallery. To keep the experience dynamic, the gallery features a rotating weekly prompt that challenges visitors to envision the future they dream of.
Environmental Graphics:
The environmental graphics throughout the exhibition incorporate intentionally child-like illustrations to create an environment where visitors of all ages feel comfortable sharing their ideas, regardless of their artistic skill.
Appendix: Existing Conditions
Situated on the ground floor of the Nantha Sippakhan Learning Center’s East Wing, this project transforms a former storage room into an exhibition gallery. The redesign introduces essential infrastructure, including a raised floor system for wiring raceways and dedicated electrical and communication closets, while thoughtfully preserving the original interior paneling and moldings. Existing windows are retained to maintain a connection with the surrounding environment. Through adjustable wood blinds, shifting natural light shapes the interior throughout the day, creating an evolving environment.
Collectively, these design decisions demonstrate a harmonious coexistence of juxtaposing qualities: traditional and innovative, controlled and organic, calm and dynamic.
