The National Museum of Natural History has numerous exhibits utilizing cutting edge, Digital History techniques to better inform and engage the public of all ages and abilities. Sant Ocean Hall for example, contains a tri-fold exhibit: “More than just Fish and Water,” “Exploring the Depths,” and “Ocean Motion.” These exhibits come together in showcasing a 3-D, 360 degree projection sphere explaining data from each surrounding exhibit in greater depth. While the digital globe aspect of the exhibits may have been the main focus in the center of the room, there were static images and graphs, as well as decommissioned tools used in the field. The majority of the data and created visuals/audio for this section of Sant Ocean Hall were provided by NOAA and the National Undersea Research Center/University of Connecticut, Avery Point; though Ian MacIntyre had the most numerous Smithsonian Institutes credits, for how he adapted images and information for the digital aspects.
As the sphere “rotated,” the entire room could see each image before the presentation continued; this is a very helpful visual feature for those utilizing mobility aid devices or needed to sit down. Similarly, at each “side” of the globe, a screen with the narrator’s voice scrolled as he spoke; this is very helpful for those who have graded hearing loss, cannot read some of the globe’s colored print options, or cannot hear over the room’s noise. It also seemed as if there were headphones available upon request if sensory issues, hearing loss, or language barriers arose. However, I did notice that this exhibit was one of the only ones without any Braille, which I thought was a problem in accessibility. Overall, it seemed as if this exhibit was made for everyone to enjoy and learn from, no matter age or background!
It was just as interesting listening to this digital exhibit as it was looking at it. The narrator had a very clear, deliberate cadence, slowing on more “difficult” words and topics before explaining them. I thought this made a lot of sense, as it seemed like an exhibit that both adults and children can learn from. The narrator would build the foundation of a theory, like tracking buoys or global warming, in a way that children could easily understand. Deeper facts and figures were then brought up, most likely geared towards the adults in the room; these were always accompanied by graphics that would made ideas easier to grasp. For instance, when wind and ocean-current patterns were being explained, rubber duckies were showcased “swimming” and traveling the globe.
Though many topics were covered in depth, overall, it seemed as if the creators of this project had one main goal in mind: better education of the historical changes faced by Earth’s oceans. Climate change was an underlying topic of almost all aspects of this exhibit, exploring how the ocean has changed over time. Weather onsets, ocean-level, and ice caps were core themes of learning showcased, where decades of data was compared visually and orally. I believe that the curators of this exhibit intended the audience to critically think about the change each of us can have on the environment and how we are all connected by it. I believe the creators of this exhibit accomplished their goal well, let alone because of how popular it was!
Overall, it was a very interesting intersection of static images, visuals, colors, graphics, and audio to display historical and current data! I didn’t see any real unresolved questions because of how expansive this display was, however I could definitely see need for some improvements; for instance Braille installations could be installed and lights near the ground could help visibility without disrupting the projections. I feel like this exhibit was done extremely well, not even taking the supposed cost and construction limitations that must have gone into it. As this exhibit was informative, thought provoking, fun, and creative, I would definitely suggest seeing it!
Cited Work: Exploring the Depths, More Than Just Fish and Water, and Ocean Motion: National Museum of Natural History. 5 Mar. 2024.