Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- pop-up / ˈpɑːpˌʌp / (adj) – relating to a temporary business that exists only for a short time
Example:The pop-up store will be open in the city for just three weeks.
- leverage / ˈlɛvərɪʤ / (v) – to use something to get a desired result
Example:The agency hopes to leverage the actor’s popularity to get people’s attention.
- solicit / səˈlɪsət / (v) – to ask for something
Example:The artist solicited advice from other artists on what venue to use for her exhibition.
- immersive / ɪˈmɚs ɪv / (adj) – making someone feel completely involved in something
Example:The immersive museum lets visitors feel that they are flying in the sky by adding wind and sound effects.
- sell out / sɛl aʊt / (phrasal) – to be sold completely
Example:The concert tickets quickly sold out an hour after they were made available.
Article
Read the text below.
The first interactive museum featuring pizzas opened in New York City last October.
The Museum of Pizza (MoPi) was a pop-up museum conceptualized by the video production company Nameless Network. The museum, which lasted for only a couple of days, showcased the history of pizza and a wide variety of different pizza artworks.
According to Nameless Network’s chief content officer Alexandra Serio, pizza appeals to many people, and MoPi leveraged that to attract visitors. Aside from exhibiting pizza’s history, MoPi also celebrated pizza’s role in pop culture as something that is shared and understood by everyone.
To create MoPi, Nameless Network solicited ideas from artists with various styles and asked them to interpret pizza through art. The result was a collection of pictures, installations, and interactive elements. Immersive attractions such as a cheese cave, a pizza beach, a pizza art gallery, a film-screening room, and an interactive history space were also showcased in MoPi.
For $35, visitors could visit MoPi and were entitled to one pizza slice each. A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales was also donated to families in need.
Prior to MoPi, other pop-up museums also opened in New York. One of the museums was the Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC). The MOIC became a hit and opened in two other cities, where all tickets sold out.
Serio predicted that in the next few years, museums will attempt to make exhibitions more interactive and Instagrammable, like the MOIC and MoPi, in order to cater to a younger audience.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
• If MoPi was set up in your city, would you be interested to visit it? Why or why not?
• Do you think opening museums like MoPi is an effective way to celebrate food products like pizza? Explain.
Discussion B
• If you were to conceptualize your own museum, what would you focus on (e.g. history, scientific discoveries, collections)? Explain.
• In what ways can a museum be more interesting and appealing to visitors? Discuss.