Messages Across a Fictional City · A room-by-room exhibit made from invented classroom objects and source cards.
Aster Bay is not a real place. Its objects, dates, people, and source cards were invented for this classroom example.
Room 1: a printed notice · Room 2: a broadcast script · Room 3: an alert-light prototype.
Begin with the object, then separate what a visitor can see from what the classroom source card says.
The wide lettering was designed to be read from across the fictional town hall. The bottom edge is blank so students can distinguish visible design choices from the story supplied by the source card.
Looking question: Which details are visible on the object, and which come only from the label?
This room pairs a student-made prop with the exact text used to interpret it.
The model has one large dial and a cloth speaker panel. Its companion card contains a short weather closure announcement for the invented ferry route.
Looking question: What could a listener learn that the radio object alone cannot show?
The final room makes its uncertainty visible instead of treating a prototype as a finished public system.
A paper solar panel and three colored circles show a possible warning display. The model does not detect weather, send alerts, or store visitor input.
Looking question: What would need to be tested before this concept could become a real public tool?
You visited three rooms, read three labels, and saw a source attached to every object. A real student project should replace these exercise cards with its own verified collection records and citations.