I noticed a lot of people were asking for experiences,

and it really got me thinking about,

kind of this Instagram era.

We kind of said, oh well wouldn't it be fun

to get a bunch of artists and creatives together,

and kind of do this color experience?

Color Factory is a 12,000 square foot color experience.

If you've ever seen an installation like

the Rain Room or the Infinity Mirrored Room,

you know that social media can play a huge role

in how we experience and interact with art.

Now, some creators are flipping the script

with a new category of installations made for Instagram.

These exhibits take the design language structure

of a traditional art museum,

and add details like perfect lighting or colorful backdrops

or interactive props.

They all translate really well to photos on social media.

We can make a beautiful photo

that will do very well on the internet,

but it was really important to me that

Color Factory was more than that.

I kind of came down to three characteristics

that I wanted each exhibit to have ideally.

One is I wanted it to be something

that you normally didn't get to experience,

so whether that's laying underneath, you know,

100 pounds of confetti falling down on you. (laughs)

Or walking through a room full of ribbons.

The second characteristic is we wanted it to have

a concept behind it, not to be just a pretty picture,

but you know, that there was some thought and some meaning.

And then the third characteristic is

we wanted it to be really photogenic,

so we did want it to make a really good Instagram.

And there were a few decisions we had to make,

like even with lighting,

where maybe a warmer light would've felt better to be there,

but a wider light looks better on Instagram.

(bright music)

[Woman] So what's the difference

between a space like this, and say the Rain Room?

Well, some would say there isn't one.

The way we experience art today

is in many ways, through our phoness.

But others would draw a distinction

between an installation where an artist has explored space

and light and scale and mood in interesting ways,

and something like the Color Factory

or the Museum of Ice Cream,

which is designed to be reproduced on Instagram

as much as it is meant to be enjoyed in real life.

(bright music)

We're not a traditional museum.

I would never set out to be.

I think that people can sometimes get stuck

on a title or a name.

You come in and you have this experience.

A museum lives on in so many different verticals and ways.

We're a brand.

(bright music)

I kind of wanted to juxtapose

what people think is a traditional museum,

and put artifacts and paintings in,

and give that kind of sense that you would expect,

and then take you into something

that's far more imaginative.

(bright music)

If you look at traditional museums,

they exhibit art, culture,

they bring people together for a specific meaning.

They celebrate design, they celebrate history.

All of those things, we as a company equally share.

(bright music)

There's been a traditional sense of, you know, the ropes.

And everything is something that you stand,

and you're an observer,

but you're not an active participant.

The Museum of Ice Cream welcomes

and celebrates the interaction of our visitors

with the art and installations.

There's a question, is this art?

I don't know. (laughs)

I'm not gonna be the one to say if it's art.

We brought on a lot of talented artists to work on this.

It's interesting to see, like, I go to the SFMOMA,

and everyone's just trying to get Instagrams.

You know, like is that what art is becoming,

is like what you're experiencing

and sending out into the world?

I don't know.

I just think it's interesting,

and that's the reality of the world we live in right now.

I don't think that social

is what is driving what the Museum of Ice Cream does.

I think about how people feel,

like what is that actual experience?

And I design it not for those little enclaves

or vignettes, if you will.

That is very much dictated by our visitors

that come and they're able to create

what are those moments for themselves.

We don't say, hey this is your moment to take a photograph.

I give everyone a canvas,

and it is their opportunity to make it what they will.

(bright music)

Whether you're in a space like the Museum of Ice Cream

or the Museum of Modern Art,

you're going to find people looking at exhibits

through their phoness.

The question isn't necessarily, is that okay?

Or whether social media has transformed or reduced art,

but what do we get out of these spaces?

Is it an experience that makes us think and reflect

and see the world differently?

Or is it an experience that amounts

to that little square photo you post online?

I'm really proud of it, and what it turned into.

And a lot of people are like,

how are you making money from this?

And I'm like, we're not. (laughs)

You know, at our core we're a bunch of artists and creatives

and we just want to create these magical moments,

so hopefully, you know,

we make as many people as happy as possible. (laughs)

I see Museum of Ice Cream 1, 2 and 3,

which we're sitting in 3 today, as betas.

I've always thought of it as that.

I think that people often experiment,

whether it's in a lab or in a different place,

and they prototype.

It just so happens that my prototypes

have hundreds of thousands of people

that go in and experience it.

(bright music)