What defines excellence in experiential design? In this episode of Matters of Experience, @amhonor and Brenda Cowan welcome Travis Stanton, an award-winning editor, strategist, and global design competition leader. Travis reflects on his role judging the “World Expolympics” at Expo 2025 Osaka, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how international pavilions are evaluated. From emotionally resonant small-scale exhibits to spectacular multimedia environments, he explains why the strongest experiences are rooted in clear ideas rather than big budgets alone. The discussion also dives into trends shaping the industry and the evolving role of AI.
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The Wall Street Journal just called “The First Salute” intriguing — and we’d have to agree. We designed the exhibition and produced its media, with the WSJ giving a particular nod to the films. On view at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History @weitzmanmuseum through April 2027, the exhibition tells the story of St. Eustatius, the tiny Caribbean island that helped arm the American Revolution.
#firstsalute #exhibitdesign
“The First Salute,” a new landmark exhibition now open at The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, tells the story of St. Eustatius, a small Caribbean island where the United States first received international recognition in 1776.
A global trading hub at the time, the island and a network of Jewish merchants played a critical role in supplying the revolutionary cause with weapons and ammunition. It’s a perspective that expands 1776 beyond the familiar narrative and brings forward a chapter of American history that has largely gone untold.
Commissioned to design the exhibition and produce media, Lorem Ipsum Corp. created an immersive experience grounded in objects and brought to life through a human perspective. Across the galleries, large-scale cinematic narratives and living portraits employ generative AI production alongside traditional techniques to tell stories and perspectives that would otherwise be lost.
We are grateful to the Weitzman and the St. Eustatius community for trusting us with this story.
Dan Tadmor, President & CEO (Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History)
Josh Perelman, Curator & Project Director
Claire Pingel, Chief Registrar and Associate Curator
Dr. Laura Arnold Leiberman, Advisor
Dr. Pan Nadell, Advisor
Dr. Jonathan Sarna, Advisor
Abigail Honor, Creative Director
Yan Vizinberg, Creative Director
Chris Cooper, Head of Media Production
Bruce Chilton, Lead Generative Animator
Masha Pyshkina, Head of Content
Alex Robete, Graphic Design
Pasha Erko, Graphic Design
Beth Van Why, Project Manager
Becker & Frondorf, Owner’s Representative & Project Management
Dimensional Worldwide, Exhibit Fabrication
Ennead Architects, Architectural Consultant
Electrosonic, A/V Integration
Gallagher & Associates, Concept Design
Donna and Shula Productions, Media Production (Synagogue film)
Lorem Ipsum Corp., Exhibit Design and Media
What does it take to turn a blank space into an unforgettable experience? In this episode of Matters of Experience, @amhonor and Brenda Cowan talk with Carl Rhodes—Creative Director and exhibit design veteran— as he pulls back the curtain on the creative journey behind today’s most engaging museums.
Starting as a painter unsure of his path, Carl shares how a willingness to explore led him into exhibition design, where storytelling, space, and technology intersect. He discusses how great ideas rarely arrive fully formed, but instead emerge through collaboration, iteration, and a bit of creative chaos.
From rethinking how visitors connect with history to shaping experiences that resonate emotionally, Carl explores how narrative and physical interaction influence what we remember. Along the way, the conversation tackles key questions: When should designers enter the process? How do you balance innovation with authenticity? And what role should AI play in creative work?
It’s an honest, thought-provoking look at designing experiences that truly connect.
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Thrilled to share that The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, has received 7 nominations at the German Film Awards (Deutscher Filmpreis) — often considered the German equivalent of the Oscars.
Our nominations include:
– Best Feature Film
– Best Actor (August Diehl)
– Best Cinematography
– Best Sound
– Best Production Design
– Best Costume Design
– Best Makeup
Proud to be part of this and deeply grateful to the entire team who brought the film to life.
@kirillserebrennikov@opeldop@vlad_ogay@dolmatovskaya@svetlanapunte@maxable@hype.film@cgcinema@formaprofilms@scala.films.productions@dcmfilm
We’re proud to mark the opening of a permanent exhibition dedicated to Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. Developed by Lorem Ipsum, the exhibition is housed in a space designed by Shri Mataji in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, and offers an intimate introduction to the life and legacy of the founder of Sahaja Yoga. While her impact is global, the narrative focuses on her profound connection to the United States.
At the heart of the design is a single spatial gesture: a flowing form inspired by Khadi sari fabric — a symbol of freedom, dignity, and self-reliance. It moves through the exhibition as a continuous thread, guiding visitors through the experience. Personal artifacts, original materials, and audio-visual installations come together to create a layered, accessible environment — for both those familiar with Sahaja Yoga and those encountering it for the first time.
We are grateful to the Shri Mataji Foundation and the Sahaja Yoga community for their trust and collaboration.
Proud to share that our Co-Founder and Creative Director, Abigail Honor @amhonor , is serving as Jury Chair for this year’s SEGD Global Design Awards @segddesign .
Since 1987, the awards have recognized the most outstanding work in experiential design worldwide—projects that bring together architecture, digital media, graphics, storytelling, and spatial design to create meaningful connections between people and place.
As Jury Chair, Abby will lead an international panel of design leaders in evaluating this year’s submissions and helping identify the projects that set the standard for excellence in our field.
What happens when a museum treats its floor like a laboratory? In this episode of Matters of Experience, @amhonor and Brenda Cowan sit down with Allyson Feeney, Senior Project Director at the @exploratorium in San Francisco, to explore how experimentation, storytelling, and spatial design come together in one of the world’s most iconic interactive museums.
Allyson takes us behind the scenes of the museum’s Time Corridor renovation, sharing how her team reimagined the balance between hands-on interactives and powerful visual storytelling.
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We’re thrilled to share that Kodak honored Kristen Stewart with the Debut Feature Award for her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water.
Presented at the ASC Clubhouse in Los Angeles, the Kodak Film Awards recognize filmmakers, artists, and collaborators whose work shapes the future of cinema while honoring the enduring legacy of film as a creative medium.
The Chronology of Water was shot on Kodak stock by cinematographer Corey C. Waters @coreycwaters .
Other notable productions shot on film this year include One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Marty Supreme, Sinners, Bugonia, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and The Smashing Machine.
@formaprofilms@nevermind.pix@scottfreeprod@curiousgremlin@wme@cgcinema@scala.films.productions@fremantle@kodak #thechronologyofwater
Generative cinema has arrived. Its future form remains uncertain, but the tools for storytelling are already in our hands. Over the past couple of years, we’ve produced a handful of AI-assisted and fully generated commercials and museum projects. And here’s our first narrative short.
Link in bio.
World Expo authority Charles Pappas joins Abigail Honor and Brenda Cowan to uncover the surprising legacy of World’s Fairs, revealing how these massive global gatherings have quietly engineered modern life—from the zipper on your jacket to the touchscreen in your pocket. He traces the evolution of the Expo through three distinct eras—products, progress, and panic—exploring how they have historically introduced groundbreaking technologies while redefining optimism during global crises. Crucially, Charles argues that despite the convenience of the digital age, the serendipity and cultural exchange found at an Expo offer a depth of human connection that no platform can replace. This conversation with Abby and Brenda is a compelling testament to the power of shared, in-person experiences and why they remain vital engines for innovation today.
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Designer and creative leader Lucy Holmes joins Abigail Honor and Brenda Cowan to trace a life shaped by letters and by people. From hand drawing alphabets at RISD to orchestrating typographic rhythm through major museums, she reveals how the most resonant design often disappears so visitors can be fully with the work. Holmes describes turning words upside down to see relationships rather than read them, printing and pinning, tracing and testing, until a single word on a wall feels inevitable. Designing permanent galleries means thinking in decades, choosing people and stories over brittle technology. The result is quiet clarity, composed for the present and built to meet the future.
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