![\"LVTHN_MSI_Theater_Concepts_835\"](\"https:\/\/museumtrade.org\/Base1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/LVTHN_MSI_Theater_Concepts_835.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe overall design aesthetic for the 7,500-sq.-ft. exhibit uses the Golden Ratio or Fibonacci sequencing in nearly all dimensionalities, as well as the essence of nature itself as a guiding visual statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to illustrate the patterns in nature, teach guests how to see patterns that make up the natural and man-made environments and recognize that patterns are simply an expression of math. We wanted them to leave saying, \u2018Math isn\u2019t as scary as I thought it was, and it is everywhere!\u2019\u201d adds Snow.<\/p>\n
The museum staff knew that media and digital technology would be important tools for engaging visitors, so they added Leviathan, a Chicago-based conceptual design studio, to the team to create an immersive introductory film and 12 interactives.<\/p>\n \u201cOur job was to figure out a new approach to visualizing these patterns that occur in the natural world\u2014and show how they also occur in human bodies,\u201d says\u00a0Jason White,executive creative for Leviathan. Working in close collaboration with the MSI curatorial staff, the Leviathan team immersed themselves in spirals, da Vinci\u2019s Golden Ratio, Voronoi patterns and fractal branching\u2014all examples of how nature divides itself into finite, predictable patterns.<\/p>\n MSI staff had a technology \u201cask list\u201d already developed, and it included the latest technologies like Kinect cameras and Leap motion sensors. At the very top of the list was an ultra-widescreen film experience that would reel visitors in as they entered the exhibit and prepare them for learning about these \u201cNumbers in Nature.\u201d<\/p>\n The result is a curving, 25-ft.-long by 7-ft.-high immersive screen that delivers a compelling story in heart-stopping\u00a04838×1400\u00a0resolution. Serving as the backbone of the exhibit, it introduces visitors to all of the mathematical patterns and creates a unique visual language that flows throughout the exhibit.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, we invented a new visual language based on MSI\u2019s designs that is educational and fits all the patterns at the exhibit\u2019s heart,\u201d says White. \u201cWe helped design this system using white spiral, voronoi and fractal branching patterns that are superimposed over colorful footage of nature, the human body and architecture.\u201d The film experience combines high-definition cinematography with motion graphics and visual effects, as well as an original score by Joel Corelitz of Waveplant.<\/p>\n Luci Creative divided the exhibit into three major zones, including two galleries that introduce visitors to the math concepts and a mind-bending, 1,800-sq.-ft. mirror maze where visitors can actually step inside a three-dimensional pattern. The maze is a sea of equilateral triangular chambers that repeat in a dizzying array of mirrors (called a tessellation pattern).<\/p>\n \u201cIt was MSI\u2019s idea to include the maze. We worked with them to develop the look and feel to reflect a forest of natural patterns, tree branches and a bit of fantasy,\u201d says Goehle. An additional layer of experiential learning in the maze allows visitors to find hidden motion-triggered \u201cEaster eggs\u201d of additional math content, and a hidden room featuring displays of various physical math\/geometry models made by artists from across the U.S.<\/p>\n In the interactives gallery, 12 stations invite deeper dives into the content. Visitors can virtually explore 3D spirals, Voronoi diagrams and other essential natural patterns by waving their hands or touching interactive screens. Combining analog controls such as knobs, wheels and blocks with touchscreens, Kinect cameras and Leap Motion sensors, Leviathan’s team created experiences that would appeal to both children and adults.<\/p>\n One of the most complex interactives is called the Vitruvian Man. It is a digitally enhanced two-way mirror that lets visitors see if their proportions comply with da Vinci’s Golden Ratio. \u201cWhen you look in the mirror, 3D cameras track your skeletal system in real time and measure your proportions, then you can compare that with the Golden Ratio,\u201d says White. \u201cPeople line up for this and they walk away with a real understanding of how these mathematical patterns work in their own bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n The project posed some daunting technical challenges, says Leviathan creative director Bradon Webb. Rendering times for the HD film, for example, were \u201cmind-boggling.\u201d And calibrating content to interaction times and visitor throughput was a major factor in designing the interactive stations.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n