READING BETWEEN THE LINES
A critical museum installation exploring institutional misinformation through hidden graffiti and the socialist history of New Harmony, Indiana
Project Overview
Timeline
September 2023 - May 2024
Context
Graduate thesis project examining institutional legitimacy
Skills
Curation, Research, Exhibition Design, Information Design, Critical Analysis
Budget
$200 total, self-funded
Including artifacts, documents, portraits, and an audiovisual exhibit
Surface exhibit, UV-revealed graffiti, and an audiovisual installation
Built from repurposed materials to maximize limited budget
Researching New Harmony's complex evolution from socialist utopia
"Reading Between the Lines" explores how misinformation manifests not through outright falsehoods but through subtler tactics like strategic omissions and narrative framing. Taking the form of a museum installation about the socialist history of New Harmony, Indiana, this critical design project uses hidden graffiti (visible only under UV light) to challenge institutional authority and reveal concealed truths. The project examines how museums and other institutions confer legitimacy upon information, and how this legitimacy can be questioned through alternative forms of expression.
My Role & Contributions
As the sole creator and curator of this exhibition, I conceived, researched, designed, and implemented every aspect of this critical design project exploring institutional misinformation, working within an extremely limited budget of $200.
Historical Research & Curation
Conducted extensive primary and secondary research on New Harmony, Indiana, drawing from archives, historical documents, and contemporary sources to build a factually accurate foundation that could be strategically recontextualized for the installation. This comprehensive approach allowed for a nuanced exploration of how information can be selectively presented to shape narratives.
Dual-Layer Exhibition Design
Pioneered an innovative exhibition approach using UV-reactive materials to create two parallel narratives within a single space. The visible exhibition presents a curated history of New Harmony's socialist origins, while hidden graffiti revealed only under UV light challenges, contradicts, or contextualizes the "official" narrative. This technique served as a physical metaphor for reading between the lines of institutional information.
Multi-Media Content Creation
Created a complete museum ecosystem including exhibition text, informational panels, photography, artifact reproductions, documentary video, audio interviews, and interactive elements. Each component was meticulously designed to appear institutionally legitimate while containing strategic omissions that the graffiti layer would later expose.
Key Technical Challenges
- UV Material Testing: Conducted extensive testing of different UV-reactive materials to find options that were invisible under normal lighting but clearly legible when revealed with UV flashlights
- Budget Constraints: Developed creative solutions to work within an extremely limited $200 budget, including material repurposing and low-cost fabrication techniques
- Historical Accuracy: Maintained historical accuracy while strategically framing information to demonstrate how truth can be manipulated without resorting to outright falsehoods
- Conceptual Balance: Designed an experience that was intellectually challenging without being pedantic, allowing visitors to discover insights rather than having them imposed
Concept Development
The conceptual foundation of "Reading Between the Lines" emerged from my research into epistemology and how we determine what information to trust. I became fascinated by the special status afforded to museums and other institutions as arbiters of truth, and how this authority can be leveraged to shape narratives through subtle means of information presentation rather than outright falsehoods.
• How do institutions like museums confer legitimacy on information?
• What makes certain forms of communication more "trustworthy" than others?
• How can we reveal the manipulative potential of institutional framing without resorting to misinformation ourselves?
• What role does format, context, and presentation play in our determination of truth?
I selected New Harmony, Indiana as the subject of my museum for several strategic reasons:
- Its fascinating but often overlooked history as one of America's first socialist experiments provided rich material for exploration
- The contrast between its utopian socialist origins and current status created natural tension that could be capitalized on
- The complexity of its history allowed for multiple truthful but potentially contradictory narratives to be presented
- Its relative obscurity meant visitors would be more dependent on the exhibition's information, increasing the museum's authority
Graffiti became the perfect counterpoint to the institutional voice for several reasons:
- Historically, graffiti has served as a medium for marginalized voices to challenge authority
- Its informal, DIY aesthetic creates an immediate visual and conceptual contrast to formal museum presentation
- Making the graffiti visible only under UV light created a metaphor for the hidden truths that exist beneath official narratives
- The act of searching with the UV flashlight made visitors active participants rather than passive consumers of information
Design Process
My design process unfolded through four interconnected phases that allowed me to build a deeply researched, conceptually rich, and technically innovative exhibition:
Deep Historical Research
I began with extensive historical research on New Harmony, Indiana, consulting primary sources from archives, historical accounts, contemporary analyses, and visiting the town's actual museums. This provided a foundation of factual information that could be strategically presented. I mapped multiple potential narrative threads, identifying where selective presentation could create dramatically different impressions without resorting to falsehoods.
Key sources included Robert Owen's writings, the New Harmony Collections in Indiana Memory, historical newspapers, and academic analyses of utopian communities. I also studied the town's current presentation of its own history, noting which aspects were emphasized and which were minimized.
Institutional Analysis
I conducted a detailed analysis of museum conventions and visual language, identifying the specific design elements that confer institutional authority: typography choices, layout conventions, display techniques, narrative voice, and material selection. This allowed me to accurately replicate these conventions in my exhibition.
I also analyzed institutions that had been involved in historical misinformation, from subtle to egregious examples, to understand the techniques employed. This study included examining historical propaganda, museum controversies, and instances where accepted institutional narratives had later been challenged or discredited.
Technical Prototyping
Working within a limited budget required extensive prototyping and material experimentation. I tested numerous UV-reactive materials to find options that were effectively invisible under normal lighting but clearly legible under UV light. I experimented with different inks, paints, and papers to achieve the desired effect.
I also prototyped various exhibition elements, from display cases to documentary segments, evaluating their effectiveness in conveying institutional authority. This iterative process helped refine the project's technical execution and maximize impact within budget constraints.
Narrative Construction
The final phase involved crafting the dual narratives that would exist in the exhibition. The visible narrative needed to present a coherent, seemingly complete history of New Harmony that emphasized its socialist origins while selectively omitting certain complications. The hidden graffiti narrative needed to challenge, contextualize, or expand upon this presentation without simply contradicting it.
This delicate balance required careful script development for all exhibition elements, ensuring that each piece worked on its own while also contributing to the larger conceptual framework. I also developed the visitor experience, considering how people would move through the space and interact with both visible and hidden elements.
The Final Installation
The completed "Reading Between the Lines" installation creates a multi-layered experience that challenges visitors to question how institutional presentation shapes our understanding of information:
The Surface Museum - The visible exhibition presents a carefully curated narrative about New Harmony's socialist history, using all the visual language and presentation techniques of a legitimate museum. This includes historical documents, portraits, sketches, artifacts, a documentary, and imagined interviews discussing life in socialist New Harmony. While factually accurate, this presentation selectively emphasizes certain aspects while minimizing others.
The Hidden Commentary - Using UV flashlights provided at the entrance, visitors can reveal a layer of "graffiti" commentary that challenges, expands upon, or contextualizes the official narrative. This includes historical context that has been omitted, connections to contemporary issues, critiques of presentation choices, and alternative perspectives on the displayed information.
The Performance Element - Throughout the exhibition's run, new graffiti elements are periodically added, creating an evolving critique that responds to visitor engagement and emerging discussions. This performance aspect reinforces the idea that institutional narratives are not static and can be continuously challenged.
The Revelation - At the conclusion of the exhibition, takeaway brochures reveal the project's conceptual framework, inviting visitors to reflect on how the experience has changed their perception of institutional authority and information presentation. The brochures also connect visitors to relevant articles, media literacy resources, and real-world cases for continued exploration.
Historical Document Display
Featuring reproductions of letters, newspapers, and municipal records that trace New Harmony's development. The visible presentation emphasizes the community's socialist ideals, while UV-revealed annotations highlight competing economic interests, power struggles, and eventual shifts away from socialist principles.
Founder Portraits & Biographies
Biographical presentations of key figures in New Harmony's history, with formal portraits and accomplishment-focused text. UV graffiti reveals omitted personal controversies, contradicting actions, and how historical significance has been reinterpreted over time.
Documentary Film
A short documentary presenting New Harmony's history with authoritative narration and historical imagery. Adjacent wall space contains UV-visible commentary challenging the documentary's framing, highlighting what was left out, and questioning presentation choices.
Contemporary Connection Wall
A display connecting New Harmony's historical socialism to present-day civic structures. UV graffiti draws attention to how the town's socialist past is simultaneously marketed as a tourist attraction while being politically distanced in other contexts.
The visitor journey through "Reading Between the Lines" is designed to gradually shift their relationship with institutional information:
- Initial Trust - Visitors enter the space experiencing it as a conventional museum exhibition, absorbing information with the default trust typically afforded to institutional presentation.
- Discovery - Receiving a UV flashlight with minimal explanation invites curiosity and exploration, leading to the discovery of hidden content that challenges the visible narrative.
- Reconsideration - As more hidden content is revealed, visitors begin to actively question the visible exhibition, developing a critical perspective on the information presented.
- Transfer - The experience aims to create lasting awareness that extends beyond the exhibition, prompting visitors to apply the same critical perspective to other institutional information sources they encounter.
This progressive journey is designed to be engaging rather than didactic, allowing visitors to discover insights through their own exploration rather than having conclusions imposed upon them.
Budget & Resources
Working with an extremely limited budget of $200 required creative problem-solving and resourcefulness to create a museum-quality installation without compromising conceptual integrity or finish quality.
Budget Allocation
Resource Optimization Strategies
Material Repurposing
- Repurposed discarded display materials from other exhibitions
- Utilized scrap materials from fabrication labs
- Adapted existing framing and display hardware
Digital Resourcefulness
- Leveraged free and open-source archival materials
- Used existing equipment for documentary production
- Employed digital techniques to create period-appropriate reproductions
Collaboration & Exchange
- Arranged skill swaps with peers for specialized assistance
- Coordinated equipment borrowing to avoid rental costs
Project Video
The following video demonstrates the dual-layer exhibition experience, showing how the UV flashlights reveal hidden graffiti commentary that challenges the institutional presentation:
The video captures several key aspects of the project that static images cannot convey:
- The dramatic revelation of hidden commentary as visitors explore with UV flashlights
- The interactive nature of the experience and visitor reactions
- The contrast between the professional museum aesthetic and the subversive graffiti layer
- The documentary component that presents the socialist history of New Harmony
Critical Reflection
"Reading Between the Lines" succeeded in creating a thought-provoking experience that challenged visitors to reconsider their relationship with institutional information. Through this project, I developed valuable insights about information design, authority, and the ethics of presentation:
Key Learnings
- Institutional Power: The project demonstrated how effectively institutional presentation confers legitimacy - visitors initially accepted the visible exhibition's narrative without question, highlighting our default trust in museum contexts.
- Subtle Manipulation: I discovered that selective presentation and strategic omission can be more effective at shaping perception than outright falsehoods, as they maintain plausible deniability while directing interpretation.
- Active Engagement: The UV flashlight interaction proved transformative - the physical act of searching for hidden information made visitors active participants rather than passive consumers.
- Design Ethics: Creating this project reinforced my commitment to ethical information design, highlighting how designers bear responsibility for how they shape understanding through presentation choices.
- Technical Balance: Finding the right technical approach for the UV elements required extensive experimentation - the final solution needed to be invisible under normal conditions yet clearly legible when revealed.
The project raised important questions about my own role as a designer creating an exhibition about misleading exhibition practices. I had to carefully consider the ethical implications of my approach, ensuring that the project remained educational rather than manipulative. The concluding explanatory materials were crucial in this regard, transforming what could have been perceived as deception into a transparent learning experience.
Working within extreme budget constraints proved to be both challenging and creatively stimulating. It forced innovative thinking about materials and presentation techniques, ultimately enhancing the project's conceptual integrity by demonstrating how compelling experiences can be created without extensive resources.
Most significantly, "Reading Between the Lines" reinforced my belief in design's power to shape understanding and prompt critical thinking. By creating an experience that encouraged visitors to question information presentation, the project demonstrated how design can be used not just to communicate effectively, but to help people become more discerning consumers of information in all contexts.
This project has opened several potential avenues for future exploration:
- Digital Adaptation: Translating the dual-layer concept to digital environments, perhaps using interactive overlays or augmented reality to reveal hidden information on digital content
- Workshop Development: Creating educational workshops that teach information literacy through similar interactive techniques
- Collaborative Extension: Developing a framework for community participation, allowing diverse voices to contribute to the hidden commentary layer
"Reading Between the Lines" represents both a completed project and the beginning of an ongoing exploration into how design shapes understanding and how critical engagement can be fostered through thoughtful interaction design.