A [R]Evolution of Hip Hop Exhibit visitor interacts with the Breakbeat Narrative exhibit on a Surface Hub display.
A museum visitor shows their custom playlist on their mobile device after scanning the QR code presented in the chatbot interface at the end of the experience.
Our research and development team who built the system from the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, Directed by Professor D. Fox Harrell, Ph.D.
A screenshot of the Breakbeat Narratives system title screen.
Detail from the Breakbeat Narratives chatbot interface. Users converse with characters called Elementals by selecting inputs via a touch-screen interface.
Project Overview
Introduction
Breakbeat Narratives is an interactive storytelling exhibit that educates visitors about Hip Hop culture and history. Developed as a collaboration between the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, Universal Hip Hop Museum, TunesMap Educational Foundation, Afrofuturist artists Black Kirby, and Microsoft, the system delivers personalized narratives based on each visitor's musical preferences. It was deployed as the central interactive display at the [R]Evolution of Hip Hop exhibit.
System Personalization
The system personalizes each visitor's experience using two brief surveys. First, a musical preferences survey categorizes users into one of five listening styles (Mellow, Danceable, Artsy, Intense, or Rootsy). Then, a lyrical preferences survey determines which of 11 Hip Hop narratives to present. Based on these inputs, each visitor receives a unique narrative experience paired with a custom playlist they can take home.
Deployment
Launched in December 2019 at the [R]Evolution of Hip Hop Exhibit in New York's Bronx Terminal Market, the free exhibit attracted over 3,500 RSVPs within 10 days. Visitors traveled from Australia, London, France, Sweden, Brazil, China, Japan, and Israel. The experience runs on two touch-enabled Microsoft Surface Hub displays with headphones, supported by museum docents.
My Contributions
- Led team of 6 researchers on system design and implementation
- Designed the identity model for personalization under Professor D. Fox Harrell, Ph.D.
- Built the conversational AI chatbot using Microsoft Bot Framework
- Managed undergraduate research team (Angela Wang, Magdalena Price, Omoruyi Atekha)
- Collaborated cross-functionally with faculty, Hip Hop artists, historians, developers, and museum experts
More Information
- Accepted as Late-Breaking Report: ACM CHI 2020 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Featured by MIT News: Exploring hip hop history with art and technology
- Video: The Universal Hip Hop Museum explores hip hop as an art form | Microsoft In Culture
- Museum Website: The Universal Hip Hop Museum of the Bronx
- In Collaboration With: TunesMap Educational Foundation