Mimi’s Mirror Trail

An interactive scavenger-style experience created during study abroad internship with Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, designed for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where children follow playful, self-reflective prompts through hidden mirrors to encourage exploration and connection to Jupiter Artland.

Team

Julya Lima, Molly Espey, & Joanne Griffin

Timeline

August 2 - 15, 2025

Tools Used

Vinyl, mirrors, electronic laser vinyl cutter & engraver, Adobe inDesign

A stylized map of the United States made of gold-colored dots on a black background.
A pink heart-shaped mirror with a scalloped border hanging on a teal wall, reflecting a person taking a photo with a smartphone.
Stacks of colorful paper sheets and booklets on a wooden table, with titles related to Scotland and an illustrated smiling face with the text 'Jupiter Army'.

Our Problem

Our Solution

The project was inspired by Rachel Maclean’s Upside mimi ᴉɯᴉɯ uʍop at Jupiter Artland and its use of mirrors, along with the playful, immersive interaction seen in Antony Gormley’s Firmament. These influences informed the use of heart-shaped mirrors and a playful design approach, encouraging users to move through the space, engage with their surroundings, and experience moments of self-reflection.

Mimi’s Mirror Trail introduces a family-friendly, interactive scavenger experience that guides children through the Fringe using a series of hidden heart-shaped mirrors with playful, self-reflective prompts. The experience encourages exploration, movement, and engagement within the festival while creating a direct and memorable connection to Jupiter Artland through a reward-based system that draws families beyond the Fringe and into the art space.

Design Process

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Design Process ✳︎

Inspiration

The project was inspired by Rachel Maclean’s Upside mimi ᴉɯᴉɯ uʍop at Jupiter Artland and its use of mirrors, along with the playful, immersive interaction seen in Antony Gormley’s Firmament. These influences informed the use of heart-shaped mirrors and a playful design approach, encouraging users to move through the space, engage with their surroundings, and experience moments of self-reflection.

Halftone style abstract pattern of a butterfly in gold color on black background
A colorful illustration of a handheld mirror with an ornate pink frame, reflecting the face of a young girl with blond hair styled in two braided pigtails, set against a background resembling Van Gogh's painting style.
A young girl with blonde hair styled in two braids, wearing a pink and blue dress, holding a pink mirror with a surprised expression on her face, standing in a colorful, enchanted forest with twisted trees and blooming flowers.

Storyboards

A hand-drawn comic-style storyboard showing a sequence of events. The first panel depicts a child named J.A. bored at a desk. The second panel shows J.A. choosing a mini upside down. The third panel illustrates children getting intrigued by heart-shaped mirror images. The fourth panel depicts a parent taking a paper, reading it, and children following a mini mirror trail.
A hand-drawn comic strip illustrating a step-by-step instructions for a game or activity. It includes cartoon drawings of hearts, stick figures, a code lock, stickers, and a clock, with accompanying handwritten instructions.
A four-panel comic strip showing steps to earn stickers. Panel one: a person with a heart-shaped balloon labeled 'Complexity' and another person getting stickers. Panel two: a person lying on the ground in a street, looking up at a large smiling face above. Panel three: two people walking along a path, surrounded by stylized trees, with instructions to bring stickers to Jupiter Artland for a discount. Panel four: three people lying on the ground with stickers on their bodies, with an instruction to put stickers in a Jupiter Artland exhibit like Mimi.
Comic strip titled 'Before—At Home' showing children and parents. First panel: kids bored on the couch, parents take them to the 'Fringe'. Second panel: children intrigued by a heart-shaped mirror on the wall. Third panel: children looking at the mirror with a girl's reflection. Fourth panel: parents discuss a mirror trial with their children.
A cartoon illustration with two panels showing a boy thinking about visiting Jupiter Artland. The first panel has a sign that says 'Visit Jupiter Artland' with a background of blue sky, clouds, and green hills. The second panel depicts the boy looking at a colorful poster for Mimi Upside Down, with a girl hanging upside down inside a pink heart, surrounded by bright colors, as the boy and a girl look at the poster.
Step-by-step instructions for a child's game involving a mirror, writing answers, and unlocking a lock to get a sticker, illustrated with children, a lock, and a mirror.
A comic-style illustration showing children wearing stickers or badges at Jupiter Artland, a Scottish sculpture park. The children are smiling and exploring various art installations, with a background of trees and outdoor scenery.

Prototype

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Presentation

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Prototype ✳︎ Presentation ✳︎

The mirrors were created using a laser cutter to produce heart-shaped forms with engraved, child-friendly questions about Scotland and the Fringe, framed with scalloped borders. They were installed throughout the presentation space for small-scale user testing of the scavenger hunt. In future iterations, the experience would be expanded across the Fringe, with more interactive, legible, and accessible mirror designs, and participants who complete the trail would receive a Jupiter Artland sticker redeemable for a discount.

A pink heart-shaped photo frame, a silver heart-shaped mirror, and a red paper heart on a white table.
Close-up image of a pink valentine's day card with a scalloped edge, a red heart-shaped acrylic piece with question text, and a wooden surface. The red heart-shaped piece has the text 'What piece of paper do you get that tells you about a show?' engraved on it.