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Visitors experience the sights, sounds and sensations of a real Space Shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex


that we’re inevitably headed towards. Interpreting complex sub- ject matter and engaging children is a challenge for science centres and planetariums, particularly when many are struggling with shrinking budgets. Another issue is that of all the genres of museum attractions, science centres attract the largest audience. They have a lot of people to entertain across a very wide range of ages. And they also have to supplement what’s going on in schools. That’s a really tall order. MS: This is the most important factor – before you can begin to impart concepts and information and understanding of a specifi c science centre’s agenda, you have to inspire visitors to be interested. That’s the paramount change in the way we approach science centre design. Get them interested, then present your information in ways that allows them to be active partici- pants in the discovery of this information. CL: Something that science centres have always done well is their on-the-fl oor pro- grammes where scientists invite children to help with experiments. That’s fantastic, but when you’ve got 750,000 visitors a year you can’t give that experience to everyone. We strive to provide that big introductory experience which sparks the fl ame and makes people want to explore further and get deeply emerged in science.


“Of all the museum genres, science centres attract the largest audience.


They have a lot of people to entertain and have to supplement what’s going on in schools. That’s a tall order“


How do you address these challenges? MS: We look at the institution’s audience, mission and goals and work with the sci- ence centre team to dig deep into what’s going to spark that inspiration in visitors. What we came up with for NASA was


quite daring. We created a three-choice learning environment. It’s a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) space surrounded by 12 mas- sive, digital-projection surfaces. As visitors walk through the space, each of those screens is presenting distilled knowledge in purely visual terms. It’s like being inside an iphone. It’s a digital, dynamic experi- ence that’s very specifi c. But at times, the imagery in the room


completely changes to emulate the surface of Mars or the moon. Our goal was to com- pletely immerse people and take them on a journey to somewhere they’ve never been. It’s not about providing information – it’s about providing inspiration.


CL: That’s the fi rst step – the attention grabber. We made the experience extremely visceral. One of the big challenges, and the potential solution that science centres can really wrap their arms around, is that they’ve got an extreme amount of content that they’re trying to convey. What we’re suggesting is, fi rst


offer a big, emotional context – a portal through which they can fi rst


be excited on a visceral level. At the same time, beneath those layers, you can’t be all sizzle and no steak, you’ve got to then deliver on that content and be ready to engage them at whatever level they’re at.


What’s your action plan? CL: Find compelling ways to focus the content you want. That’s hard for science centres because so much is encompassed within the centre. Artfully design and focus the subject matter in different quadrants or parts of the science museum so that there’s a clear entry point and something for the audience to easily grasp onto. Offer a variety of types of experiences – physical, intellectual, interactive and emotional.


Matthew Solari is BRC Imagination Art’s director for cultural project development and Carmel Lewis is vice president, cultural experiences


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