MIND OVER MATTER

Museum of the Mind

On view
Plastic arms mounted on the wall in diverse colours, pointing at the visitors.

The former Dolhuys came to us with a clear statement: we want to become an activistic museum. One that stands for diversity and vulnerability – a museum that is about you, and the wonder and versatility of the mind. Together, we set out to tell a story not just about diagnoses and medical help, but the people behind it.

Location
Haarlem (NL)
Client
Museum of the Mind
Year
2020
Service
Concept, spatial design, graphic design, audio direction and production
A packed bike of a person experiencing homelessness stands in the center of the room. Colourful paint on the walls frame the stories presented there.

Museum of the Mind is a place where the confused and less confused meet and discover that they have a lot in common.

Arnon Grunberg, author
Plastic bags contain the breaths of people in mental health care in this art piece by Mariska Voskamp van Noord.
Colourful showcases shaped like silhouettes of groups of people.
Silhouettes of people contain the stories of what connects us: from birthday pictures to the bond between a mother and son.

Colorful and full of feeling

We deliberately kept the style light and cheerful. Bright colors, expressive forms, and  contemporary shapes work like visual shock therapy: they block the medical gaze and stress that this is a modern and deeply personal story. Stories of are told through imagery, not text. The visitor’s first gaze is all about a feeling, not yet framed by a perspective, encouraging an open mindset.

A visitor looks enraptured at a statue with his audio head set on.
The building speaks: in the audio guide, the former Plague, Mad and Lepers House tells its own story.

Encounter other minds

Discover the stories behind objects and art pieces through the extensive audio guide. Every story is told in the person’s own words, sometimes even their own voice. The settings quite literally invite you to step into their shoes for a minute.

Museum van de Geest Dolhuys Haarlem
A mile in their shoes: step onto the stage to hear how a girl with autism overcame her fear of public speaking.
KDJ.MvdG.Still-16
Museum of the Mind
What does it feel like to experience burn-out? Visualising it in her diary helped writer Maaike Hartjes with her recovery.

Take position

The different rooms are centered around relations – I, you, we, us, them – and dare you to take position each time. Sometimes, you have to answer a question before you can continue listening. There’s ample space for your input throughout. One message is on repeat: we are more similar than we think.

Museum van de Geest

Three-part collage

Museum van de Geest
Invite to make connections: a tangle of threads overhead weaves questions stories of science, history of healthcare, philosophy, art and personal stories together in every room.
Museum of the Mind
Museum van de Geest

In the last room, hundreds of coloured wires hang down from the ceiling, with signed Declarations of the Open Mind at the ends. Visitors themselves can, through a small ceremony, raise their own Declaration in the air and thus become part of the museum.

Museum of the Mind

This place will brush off your mood and bring you to a complete new level of self realisation. Do not assume, just listen to the story the tour provides, and be open minded. Then you will walk out and grow a little.

Visitor of the exhibition
Museum of the Mind
Museum of the Mind

Awards

Museum of the Year Award 2022

  • Winner

Design Week Awards

  • Exhibition design - highly commended

European Design Award Exhibition

  • Exhibition - Bronze winner
Museum of the Mind
Museum of the Mind

Start imagining your story with us!

Robert

Related projects