Following our hard work over the Fall, the research team embarked on a recreational trip to the much talked about Dr. Seuss Experience in Mississauga, Ontario near the Square One Mall. Never taking our inquisitive research caps off, the team immensely enjoyed diving into the delightful universe of the beloved children's author while also critically assessing the experience. As a child, I absolutely adored the works of Seuss and was surprised that such an exhibit did not exist when I was growing up. Going to the exhibit as a young adult I found to be enjoyable but not something I would recommend to everyone. The level of detail was staggering: scenes from Seuss books were brought to life like "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Lorax," yet there was no sense of the actual stories. Rather I found they were interactive environments with a game, activity or objects to touch which were stylistically culled from fragments of Seuss' stories. "The Cat in the Hat" for example was home to rubber objects which appear in the story like tea pots, cake and plates: with the cat in the background mechanically operated . Quotes from the stories were featured in each interactive room, but this was the extent of capturing the actual narrative qualities of the work. The focus was primarily on the aesthetics, which makes sense considering how unique the Seuss universe is. Just look at all the animated and life action adaptions of his work- the world in his books almost begs to be actualized in the real world. It is difficult for an exhibit focusing on an author to capture the literary qualities of their work, and I obviously wasn't the targeted age group but nevertheless I was left wanting more, yet still enjoying the hour or so we spent there. The most intriguing part of the experience for me was a display near the entrance which features early drawings and fan art. Overall, it was nothing groundbreaking nor was did it fail to entice, but I believe we as a team got a lot out of the exhibit. It was great to see our work in action and understand why museums/exhibits remain important educational and recreational public spaces.
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