Museum of Meaningful Moments

The Museum of Meaningful Moments (MMM) is an online exhibition and archive space created and curated by Good Health Design. MMM invites people to share small, meaningful moments from their everyday lives that may otherwise go unnoticed. It is a way to explore COVID-19 lockdowns as an opportunity for people to slow down and reflect on what matters to them. MMM aims to build an ongoing collection of appreciative moments during this globally challenging time.

The Museum (MMM) began during the first lockdown in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in 2020 to spotlight small moments of appreciation while life came to an abrupt standstill and a time when all Aotearoa New Zealand came together through a shared experience. MMM is a place where people of all ages and from all walks of life can contribute. It enables shared experiences, observations, insights, and stories through photos, videos, artwork, or something else entirely. Taking time to recognise, capture, share and reflect on small moments creates a greater appreciation for them. MMM creates a space for bringing these moments together and helps us refocus on the simple things that bring us joy as we tackle uncertain times.

MMM connects small occurrences in everyday life and translates them into a shared space online. Participants can ‘drop in’ to the website or Instagram collection at any point and respond to prompts by submitting photos or drawings and sharing stories with our community. When viewed as a whole, these shared moments are a reminder that while our everyday experiences may be unique to us as individuals, our collective experience at any given moment varies, and what we notice or appreciate may be different from one person to the next. MMM helps remind us of the importance and enjoyment of these “small moments”, especially when more significant challenges may seem much more out of our control.

MMM periodically releases new prompts through the website and Instagram page, creating a continuation of moments, no matter how big, small, or simple. The prompts range from introspective – “What is something you are thankful for?” to observational, “Show us your drawer of random things.”

We have had additional engagements with the physical world through activations like our VHS TV set, Post Box, and Tell-a-Phone booth. These activations capture technology making its way into obsolescence by engaging communities through nostalgia and novelty—a conviviality that encapsulates MMM’s ethos. Those who encounter these activations contribute to MMM by recording a message in our Tell-a-Phone booth or dropping us a post-card in the MMM Post Box, creating a site-specific experience that grounds their stories in that specific moment.

As a design research group, we also see MMM as an opportunity to explore the simultaneous collection and dissemination of stories using a creative method and widely accessible platform. Participation in MMM is quick. Dissemination of responses is live. These submissions continue to build on an archive of moments making meaningful connections between individuals or different groups and for ongoing research and exploration. While the act of sending a submission may feel inconsequential, as a collective whole, MMM supports the continuing building of community.