How Charles Philipp Is Making Museums Smaller, Smarter, and More Accessible

Charles Philipp believes museums can be small, surprising, and everywhere. As the founder of MICRO (www.micro.ooo), he creates immersive, research-driven exhibitions that fit into everyday settings, reaching audiences in hospitals, libraries, and other public spaces that traditional cultural institutions may overlook. In this conversation Charles traces the path from his early work in animation and fabrication to building a new kind of museum infrastructure. He discusses how MICRO designs for short attention spans without sacrificing depth, how optical illusions and tactile details can spark curiosity, and why exhibitions should speak with communities rather than at them. The episode explores the impact of MICRO's public-hospital installations during COVID, the value of rapid physical prototyping, and a new project that turns a retro refrigerator into a museum about food, biology, culture, and the microbiome.