How nature uses color
California Academy of Sciences
Tellart created the central exhibits for Color of Life, a permanent exhibition at California Academy of Sciences exploring the role of color in the natural world. These interactive, multisensory installations invited visitors to discover stories from the Academy's vast collection of 46 million scientific specimens, highlighting the interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Color Visualizer
Color Visualizer, the exhibition's centerpiece, created a novel interaction paradigm. Visitors plucked on multicolored strings to play over 100 stories describing how plants and animals use color to camouflage, communicate, attract and repel.
Bee Vision
We used augmented reality (AR) to reveal how bees see ultraviolet light and flower patterns invisible to humans. Bees are a keystone species—so important to plant pollination that ecosystems would collapse without them. Their remarkable eyesight is key to their success in finding nectar and to their role as pollinators.
The exhibits were robustly engineered for children and have been running continuously since summer 2014.
“Tellart has been a great partner. They really helped to challenge the way we think about things, and bring new ideas to the table.”
Scott Moran, Director of Concept and Exhibit Development, CAS
“Once you experience color through the lens of the natural world at this exquisitely curated exhibit, your perspective of the world will be forever changed. Color will never be the same.”
The Examiner
Project Data
Highlights:
• Centerpiece of new 8,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibition
• 1.6M Visitors per year to the California Academy of Science
• 10800 x 1920 Pixels of display surface
• 17,280 LEDs in dynamic ambient lighting
• Over 100 Color Stories for visitors to explore
Awarded:
Selected Press:
Project team:
Tellart designed the exhibition in close partnership with California Academy of Sciences Exhibits Studio, and with the support of fabrication partners Octo PD, Lassen Hines, Group Delphi, and Dallas Swindle.
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