24 Nov 2017
Eureka! extends run of digiPlaySpace after visitors flock to museum
BY Alice Davis
Eureka!, the popular children’s museum in Halifax, Yorkshire, is on track for its busiest year in two decades, thanks in part to a visiting exhibition – an “interactive digital playground”.
After attracting 60,000 visitors over the summer period, Eureka! has announced the award-winning digiPlaySpace exhibition will now stay on at the museum until April 2018.
It’s the first time digiPlaySpace has been hosted in Europe and the exhibition, which was developed in 2012 for TIFF Kids at the Toronto International Film Festival, lets young guests play with robots, learn to code, play games and interact with new technologies, and explore light and sound in physical and creative ways.
“We were proud to be the first museum in Europe to host digiPlaySpace and are now so excited that children locally and nationwide have more time to come and visit us in Yorkshire to experience it,” said Leigh-Anne Stradeski, CEO of Eureka!
“digiPlaySpace has gone down a storm with parents and children alike and our staff love it too. Each of the 14 exhibits offers a glimpse of what the future of museum interaction looks like and, because our young visitors are increasingly digitally-savvy, it’s extremely rewarding for us to be offering such a forward-thinking installation.”
Eureka! has enjoyed a boost in visitation this year and estimates it will welcome more than 300,000 guests in 2017, its busiest year since 1998. It’s currently planning to open a second children’s museum – an £11m attraction in Liverpool aimed at seven to 14-year-olds.
Different interactives children can try at the digiPlaySpace include the Pop n Lock, where they film themselves dancing and create a stop-motion animation; Sphero Speedway, where they race a robot and simultaneously learn basics of computer programming; and the LED game Line Wobbler.
Elizabeth Muskala, director of youth learning and TIFF Kids International Film Festival, said: “TIFF is committed to engaging young audiences in the art of storytelling, critical thinking and media literacy.
"digiPlaySpace is an interactive playground that brings together art and technology to inspire and entertain kids and parents alike. These new media experiences are designed to engage young audiences in play and learning and to unlock their creative potential.”
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