Guest Curator Program

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- MOPOP Permanent Collection

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Guest Curator Program

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Gone Too Soon

Well-known artists can become powerful characters in our lives, keeping us company through important and intimate moments. Pop Culture fans — especially those in Seattle — understand that losing an icon, particularly in a surprising or difficult way, often feels deeply personal. But are we mourning the full, complicated human being — or just the idea we had of them?

About the Curator

Nabilah Ahmed (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate artist with a background in theater, museums, media design, and production. She is a former MOPOP Museum Educator and has collaborated with many organizations in her various creative capacities, including Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory Theater, On the Boards, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Washington Ensemble Theater, and ArtsWest.

Exhibition Highlights

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Soundproof Rooms

Twelve acoustically isolated rooms known as studio pods, contain interactive devices, gear, and traditional instruments. Take a lesson, jam with others in the room, try out vocals, and learn about the art of mixing. Special reverberation technology lets you adjust the sound so it's as big as an amphitheater, or as intimate as a living room.

Trios

Each of the tall semi-enclosed structures on Sound Lab's main floor contains three interactive instruments, including guitar, bass, keyboard or drums. These instruments use sophisticated audio, computer graphics and MIDI to guide you through a variety of learning activities, whether it's learning to play "Louie Louie," or discovering what a 12-bar blues is. You can also choose to forego a lesson to play instruments on your own or with friends and family. Acoustically optimized dividers in each trio let you rock your socks off without disturbing anyone else.

The Big Drum

The heart of Sound Lab, The Big Drum recalls the early rhythms our ancestors played around the fire. You don't need any special skills to play it, other than the ones you'd bring to a conversation. Just listen and answer back.

Audio Technology Interactives

How do guitar players make such different sounds? Can an audio engineer really fix it in the mix? Technology has played a huge role in the creation of the sounds of rock 'n' roll, both behind the scenes in the recording studio and up on the bandstand. Find out more about the recording process, amps, samplers, effects pedals, and microphones.

DJ Hallway

In the hands of a skilled DJ, turntables can produce music that would have been impossible just a few short decades ago. Ever wonder how DJs make that scratching sound or move from one record to the next? Find out in DJ Hallway, situated in the back of Sound Lab.

Jam Studios

Check out the state-of-the-art Jam Studio where you can record your own song using drums, guitars, keyboards, and vocals, then download and share with your friends for free.

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Exhibition Details

MOPOP’s Guest Curator Program highlights the voices of emerging curators as they share fresh interpretations of the museum’s permanent collection. In the fourth edition of MoPOP’s Guest Curator Program, Guest Curator Nabilah Ahmed examines the lives and deaths of beloved creatives and explores the question: How do we honor legendary figures with complex private lives?

Featuring artifacts and clothing from The Notorious B.I.G., Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, and others.

Credit Line: Jumpsuit, boots, and gloves worn by Robin Williams as Mork from Ork in the television series Mork & Mindy, 1978 – 1982. MOPOP Permanent Collection

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