Dance to Belong: A History of Dance at 92NY

In honor of 92NY’s 150th anniversary, Thinc was hired to design an exhibition focused on the institution’s esteemed role as the home of modern dance. Working with two outside curators, Thinc showcased academic scholarship for a wide audience through exhibition and media design, curatorial input, and exhibition writing. We also fully curated and designed a permanent exhibition on the history of modern dance at 92NY for the building’s second floor renovation.

Our main task was to add a sense of movement to the space, both visually and in a more embodied sense of using one’s own body to explore exhibition content—what is sometimes referred to as “embodied exhibition design.” Thinc’s design activated the space above the exhibition with a series of projected and printed surfaces suspended from a trellis, which mimicked the trace forms of a dancer in motion. We also made use of two large columns in the space, inviting visitors to move around them as well as around the room in their explorations of community building through movement, and drew inspiration from the artistic field of “dance calligraphy” in graphic design. Most crucially, our media design approach interlaced historic dance footage with footage of historical events, helping visitors draw connections between movement in dance and social movements in the outside world.

  • Client: The 92nd Street Y
  • Summary: Exhibition Planning and Design, Curatorial Services, Media Design and Production
  • Project Type: History Museum
  • Location: New York , NY
  • Date: March 2024
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