Our third event at the Ashmolean‘s LiveFriday event in May was an Object Apothecary, dispensing prescriptions for events and experiences in the Museum to aid visitor wellbeing. The Object Apothecary served as a demonstration of the positive effect that museums can have on wellbeing. The Oxford Internet Institute is working with the Happy Museum project to investigate how digital tools can be used to understand and enhance the impacts of museums on visitor wellbeing.
The Apothecaries hard at work.
The Apothecaries at LiveFriday did a terrific job of issuing prescriptions designed to combat ailments such as Hot-headedness caused by an excess of blood (which required something to focus the mind) and Apathy caused by an excess of phlegm (for which the cure was ‘a dose of excitement’).
Our research in this area is currently at a very early stage but keep an eye on our blog to learn more about our activities and results as we progress.