Digital Totem Visual Description
Two digital totems are located in the Great Hall, outside the entrance to the Design Across Time exhibition.
Each totem is made up of a tall rectangular digital display that stands in a sleek black base on the floor. They are 10 feet tall and about three feet across. The display cycle begins with a white screen on which a column of ten entries appear one at a time with all-capital text, reading, “Furniture, Graphic Design, Digital, Architecture, Textiles, Fashion, Industrial Design, Crafts, Jewelry, Drawings, Wall Coverings.” Here and throughout, the black block lettering is sturdy and crisp.
This list fades and the “Cooper Hewitt” logo is revealed. Smaller text below reads “Smithsonian Design Museum” next to the Smithsonian sunburst logo. Next: “Your Home for Design.”
Under a banner reading “On View Now,” text cycles through listing the current exhibitions on view and what floor they are on.
A rotating selection of objects follows, showing various objects for a few moments before sliding in and out of view. A colorful wallcovering pattern shows a cockatoo jabbing out its short, red tongue as it perches on a branch surrounded by cherry blossoms and orchids against a dark, celestial-blue background. In the next object, an engraving of a nude woman with wings jutting back from her shoulders as she holds a chalice and horse bridle and balances on a ball high over a provincial German town. Following this, a modernist, apple-red child’s chair with sleek contours, a three dimensional rendering which spins slowly as it lightly floats upward. Next in the mix is a spidery gold brooch with glittering diamonds and glowing emeralds set along butterfly-like wings that stretch to either side of a gold, mask-like face. Then, a film poster of a silver X spanning a black background with the word “November” between the legs of the X below.
At the end of the photo gallery, a grid appears, made up of 84 thumbnails highlighting vases, prints, serving vessels, furniture, wallcovering patterns, everyday objects, and a wide range of other design objects. After a few moments, the grid is replaced with a list of text, which begins with “Furniture, Graphic Design, Digital,” and brings us back to the start of the cycle.
Learn more about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt.
Visitors may email CHAccess@si.edu or call 212.849.2950 to ask questions about accessibility. In the Great Hall, our team is available at the Visitor Experience desk to answer any questions. We welcome you to contact us after a visit to provide feedback.
