A Lake District museum has unveiled a new interactive exhibition inviting visitors share their memories.
‘The Time Lab’ opened at Wordsworth Grasmere, and is inspired by William Wordsworth’s exploration of memory in his poem ‘The Prelude’.
The exhibitions asks visitors to become part of the museum’s history by sharing their own ‘spots of time’.
Wordsworth describes three ‘spots of time’ in his poem - published in 1850 - as stealing a boat, skating on Windermere and mimicking the hooting of an owl.
The new immersive exhibition is based in the museum’s interactive studio laboratory and will be available to visitors of the museum and Dove Cottage until November.
Working with artist Stacey Joy Rossouw, visitors will be encouraged to share their memories from throughout their lives; memories that invoked powerful feelings and senses and ones which they believe have shaped their lives today.
Michael McGregor, director at Wordsworth Grasmere said: “We are excited to see how this develops.
"The exhibition in itself is a type of science experiment into the human mind and how people’s thoughts have developed over the centuries.
"It will be interesting to see how the ‘spots of time’ of today’s people differ from that of Wordsworth who lived in a much simpler era.
“We live in a modern world where everyone is used to leaving their thoughts and memories on social media platforms, but this new exhibition is an opportunity to become part of history alongside one of Britain’s most beloved poets.”
Ms Rossouw will be working in the museum between 10am-3pm Tuesday-Friday, listening to visitor memories and translating them into different mediums such as charcoal drawings, sounds, music, animations and moving images.
When the artist is not in residence, visitors can contribute memories by writing them down for her to interpret at a later date.
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Wordsworth believed that experiences or ‘spots of time’ happen to everyone and that they aid in the nourishment, development and repair of our minds and creative imaginations.
The museum hopes the exhibition will develop and evolve based on the visitors who interact with it and what they choose to share.
Visitors are welcome to return on multiple occasions to add more memories and explore the exhibition as it grows and shapes itself.
Tickets to Wordsworth Grasmere last for one year, costing £16 per adult and £8 for children, with concessions and family-friendly tickets also available.
To book, visit https://wordsworth.org.uk/the-time-lab/
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