Umbrellas and Hearts
I wanted to bring up one more piece out there in the desert from last week. Mostly I’ve just been calling this The Umbrellas, though I’m sure it probably has a better name than that. I think that this one was a lot of people’s favorite after some of the bigger art out there. The concept was simple. You just stepped into a dome sort of structure and all around you were these lights that ran like falling rain. The sky was covered in white umbrellas. And speakers played the sound effects of a storm.
I noticed out there this year, that I was particularly drawn to displays that utilized sound effects. And I found myself thinking how this relates back to my animation experience and video editing experience before that. Even when it’s subtle, maybe even especially when it’s subtle, sound can really take a piece further. It can engage an audience, and it tells a story, all by itself.
This particular piece out there was such a delight. I visited it more than once, and it was always enjoyable. It made me think on museums which engage students by creating large spaces to explore be it the heart, or the layers of the earth. I think this is a really great tactic to take on presenting an experience, and I’d like to see more of it. I know that the Museum of Science and Industry out here in Chicago got rid of a walk through heart exhibit in favor of a computerized beating heart display. The new piece is very cool there, but I hate to see a move away from that which can be walked through and explored from the inside.
I would so love to be able to build something like that someday.