MoMA: Automania
A type mechanism drives a campaign for an exhibition with mixed messages.
The exhibition, at the Museum of Modern Art, Automania, addresses the conflicted feelings—compulsion, fixation, desire, and rage—that developed in response to cars and car culture in the 20th century. Featuring cars in the sculpture garden and a gallery exhibition inside the museum, Automania contextualizes the car as both a visually compelling subject and as one with an adverse affect on culture.
MoMA: Automania
A type mechanism drives a campaign for an exhibition with mixed messages.
The exhibition, at the Museum of Modern Art, Automania, addresses the conflicted feelings—compulsion, fixation, desire, and rage—that developed in response to cars and car culture in the 20th century. Featuring cars in the sculpture garden and a gallery exhibition inside the museum, Automania contextualizes the car as both a visually compelling subject and as one with an adverse affect on culture.
The campaign revolves around a type mechanical that cycles through evocative words like an index. The motion reinforces a monolithic hierarchy, connecting the conflicted feelings—compulsion, fixation, desire, and rage—with the exhibition’s title, “Automania”. The words are paired with photographs of the cars, either featured in full view as objective specimens, or as close details with more tension.
The motion has its primary moment split across three screens in the NYC subway system.
The single screen format focus on crops of the cars, mirroring the evocative keywords in the copywriting.
The campaign adapts to a smaller format for social media.
The campaign for Automania utilizes MoMA’s core motion and design system. Modules move across planes to reveal new information at different speeds and depths, allowing for limitless content depth without visual complexity.
Credits
- Client leads:
- Rob Baker
Director of Marketing and Creative Strategy - Rebecca Stokes
Director of Marketing Campaigns and Audience Engagement - Elle Kim
Associate Creative Director - Damien Saatdjian
Art Director - Kevin Ballon
Senior Designer - Carolyn Kelly
Writer/Editor - Emily Bahret
Production Assistant - Ashley Edwards
Design Operations Manager
