Museum Exhibition: Film Photography

Experimental film photography is providing people freedom of expression with the use of film photography to manipulate and produce abstract results. The manipulation can happen during the process of taking photographs or after the photographs have been taken. We focused on film manipulation within the realm of experimental film photography. The process of manipulating happens after capturing the photos, on a film roll that has been shot.

Exposing visitors to film manipulation methods through tangible interactions.

Artists and creatives who like experimenting and value process over perfection.

Through our interviews, we found out that photographers have a strong identity and personal style. Thus, we wanted this exhibition for artists and creatives to experiment with a new style of artistic form or to provide them with inspiration.

This interactive museum experience explores analog film manipulation through five rooms—Break the Mould, Emulsion, The Film Soup, The Drying Line, and The Trail—based on the experimental work of photographer Matthew Cetta.

Known for altering film with boiling, freezing, chemicals, and electricity, Cetta's process inspired a hands-on, observation-driven exhibit that embraces imperfection and creative freedom.

We used gesture, proximity, and motion to encourage embodied learning. Visitors interact without explicit instructions, discovering how movement and materials impact photographic outcomes. Each room focuses on one stage of Cetta's process, designed to spark self-expression rather than teach technical skills.

By merging digital interaction with analog metaphor, the exhibit reflects Cetta's belief in creative risk, and encourages visitors to embrace imperfection as a powerful form of expression.

We first explored smart glasses with experimental filters to let visitors reinterpret images, but shifted to motion-based screens for better usability and engagement. This informed the Emulsion room, where real-time visual feedback encourages artistic expression and personal reflection, aligning with Cetta's focus on emotion and identity over technical process.

Participants reflected most on memories tied to family, childhood, and travel. This informed our use of proxemics—limiting focus to one image at a time—to slow the experience and encourage personal interpretation and emotional depth.

The probe revealed that visitors connect more deeply when experiences are personal and focused.

Our museum invites visitors to explore Cetta’s experimental approach to art, using movement and gesture for embodied learning. Rather than teaching technique, we encourage creative risk-taking and self-expression, showing that film manipulation can be personal, imperfect, and freeing.