Rootwise: Breaking the Boundaries of Museum Confines with Interpretation at Home

Abstract

This project explores the intersections of museums and technology, and how they can be used to aid accessibility. Not all individuals can physically get to or navigate public gardens and outdoor spaces, but would still benefit from the resources they offer. In conjunction with the Washington Park Arboretum, Rootwise is a fully functional, online database that offers accessible interpretation to the public for free. Through QR codes, visitors scan small signs on each tree and have access to interpretation on their phones. The corresponding webpage provides a deconstructed view of each tree, including accessibility features such as audio recordings of the text, illustrations of close up components, and alt text over each image. These codes can be printed for use in private yards and gardens, making a mini arboretum wherever there's a tree. This project aims to expand accessibility through easy to navigate, free signage, in addition to breaking down the notion that museum information has to exist within an institution’s walls. By allowing for at home signage, visitors are empowered to make their own interpretative tools, and follow curiosity wherever it may take them.