yves béhar designs interactive children's gallery for de young museum

in an attempt to promote creativity among children, yves béhar has created an interactive installation in the herzog and de meuron de young museum in san francisco. designed by béhar’s fuseproject, the de youngsters studio features five immersive activity stations that delve into fundamental art concepts: color, composition, shape and form, texture, and sculpture. using examples from the collections of the de young museum, the space hopes to provide tools for understanding the unique role that visual arts play in fostering children’s innate curiosity.

all images courtesy of de young museum

the narrow space is designed as a single structure made of five wooden cubes, each cube dedicated to one focused creative learning principle. the 10’x10′ sized spaces are designed to isolate the experience whilst offering transition and discovery through fabric strips and large circular projection screens. the periphery walls are painted in a blue shade, with displays on samsung’s the frame that brand and guide each module experience. unique signage designed by the fuseproject brand team reinforces the spirit of the space with the de youngster logo, an abstraction of the structure and colorful forms within it.

space leverages technology throughout to prompt exploration, curiosity, and discovery, with each component carefully designed to create various open-ended outcomes. while one employs touch sensors that allow for color mixing on a wall-like surface, another uses cameras that let children experiment with composition before virtually placing their creations within the galleries of the de young museum.

in the shape-and-form activity, children are prompted to work together to see how many shapes can be made with the human body. the movements are then captured in a activated surface to create intersecting silhouettes that, when overlapped, reveal details from recognizable objects in FAMSF collections. meanwhile, texture is discovered through interactive screens that mimic physical, textured tiles from the museum’s archives. finally, young sculptors can create their own works of art using custom-designed magnetized blocks, before placing their newly created sculptures in locations in and around the de young using an augmented-reality platform.

‘we designed unique digital experiences that involve the kids physically: with their hands, body and mind they explore their own practice and understanding‘, béhar explains. ‘to me this represents the possibilities of physical and digital learning at the service of future artists and designers.’ 

the de youngsters studio is founded on the principle that curiosity is innate. the design ephasizes this fundamental principle in a participatory fashion, while connecting the children to the art housed within the museum. free and open during normal museum hours to children of all ages, with activities created for ages 3-8 to together with an accompanying adult.