The Mind Maze at the Shanghai Museum of Glass translates the processes of thinking into a spatial experience. Visitors enter a controlled environment of glass, mirrors, red light, and tightly framed passages, where movement through space reflects different ways of perceiving and deciding.
Across 575 m², black structures and illuminated floors and ceilings form a precise, geometric setting. Reflective and semi-transparent mirror panels, overlaid with repeating graphic patterns, create layered fields of visibility that both reveal and obscure. Lines, grids, and rhythmic motifs guide and mislead at the same time, while reflections multiply views and distort depth. As a result, distances and directions are not immediately clear, requiring close attention and continuous adjustment.
The maze is structured around the 8 Wonders of Thinking, a series of installations distributed throughout the space. Each one addresses a fundamental aspect of how the mind works – from memory and energy to prediction and reaction. These are presented through compact miniature scenes, light-based displays, moving images, and short text elements.
Younger visitors receive a small booklet at the entrance, designed as a companion to the Maze. It contains hand-drawn illustrations of the 8 Wonders of Thinking together with a set of matching stickers featuring quirky “guardians” responsible for keeping the mind up and running. As they explore, visitors are invited to locate each wonder, identify its guardian, and complete the scenes in the booklet. Combined with short explanations of how the brain works, the booklet extends the experience beyond the space itself – a compact, portable version of the maze.
The Maze is not only about finding a way out. It is an environment that encourages visitors to observe how they navigate, interpret, and respond. The more closely they pay attention to these processes, the easier it becomes to find a way through the space.
Type:
Interactive Museum Experience
Location:
Shanghai Museum of Glass Park
685 West Changjiang Road, Baoshan District,Shanghai, China
Assignment:
Idea
Concept Design
Graphic Design
Detail Design
Multimedia Installations
Construction Supervision
Extent:
575 m2
Year of Completion:
2026
Team:
Tilman ThĂĽrmer
Klara Wardetzki
Chen Ying
James Wang
Client:
Shanghai G+ Culture Creative Developing Co.,Ltd
Photos:
Charlie Xia
COO

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