YOU:MATTER demonstrates that museums do not need to imitate other sectors to succeed in immersive digital practice; instead, it shows how they can draw on their own unique strengths by creating robust, inclusive and meaningful experiences rooted in trust, learning and shared human wonder.

 

This talk explores the ideas, development process and partnership behind YOU:MATTER, the interactive digital experience created for the National Science and Media Museum in collaboration with Marshmallow Laser Feast as part of Bradford’s UK City of Culture 2025.

 

Rather than chasing spectacle for its own sake, the project asked a different question: how can museums use digital tools to create experiences that are playful, emotionally resonant and deeply human? The session unpacks how a focus on intergenerational audiences shaped every stage of development — from concept and prototyping to interaction design — enabling children to lead exploration while adults reflect and connect. It also examines how immersive image and sound technologies were used not as content drivers, but as subtle enablers of curiosity, shared discovery and wonder.

 

Finally, the talk reflects on how museums can confidently push boundaries, work creatively with artists, and deliver digital experiences that are values-led, accessible, inclusive and memorable — not by competing with the commercial sector, but by being true to the themselves.