A Washington DC museum which explores the power, beauty and fun of words, as well as its impact on human experience has opened this week.
Planet Word is housed at the prestigious former Franklin School and features a multitude of interactive galleries and exhibits which allows visitors to delve into the richness of language and the origins of English dialect.
Set over three floors, the museum includes the following immersive experiences:
- Speaking Willow tree – Created by internationally acclaimed artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the bespoke sculpture showcases whispers in hundreds of languages as visitors navigate through the branches
- 22 Foot Talking Wall -Speaking for itself, literally – the talking wall delves in the origins of the English language and investigates the many attributes that influenced the word in which we use in the 21st century
- Unlock the Music – Planet Word welcomes guests to be the star of their own show. While singing karaoke, visitors will explore the techniques world-renowned singers use to create ground-breaking lyrics to become the next chart topper
Planet Word’s Talking Wall
The museum also features a library, a zone exploring baby language and a humour gallery – in which guests can test out their best jokes in a bid to make others in their group laugh.
Plans for Planet Word were originally announced in June 2018, with a budget and of $20 million to cover the creation of exhibits, renovation of zones and start-up costs.
Introductory video to Planet Word
With exhibits all moved in and social distancing measures in place, the ground-breaking edutainment facility opened its doors to the public for the first time yesterday (October 22).
Commenting on the launch, Ann Friedman CEO and Founder of the free museum said: “I want to again thank the Planet Word staff and all of our partners for their tireless commitment to this project.
“I am thrilled to final safely open the world’s first museum dedicated to bringing language to life.”
Elsewhere, explore the German theme park set in a former nuclear powerplant.
