The Mind Museum Opening, Part 3: The Technology of Play

March 21, 2012

Welcome to the third and final segment of our tour of The Mind Museum in Taguig, Philippines. The museum’s first four galleries proclaimed the wonders of Nature. Our last indoor gallery heralds the innovations of humankind.

The Story of Technology is the largest of The Mind Museum’s galleries, encompassing the entire upper floor and overlooking the other four gallery spaces. It is divided into five major themes, each occupying a node: How We Live, Who We Are, How We Know, How Things Work, and Here to There. The Who We Are Node explores the tools we use to create, modify or spread human language, as well as other expressions such as art, literature and fashion. How We Are examines precision and ingenuity, featuring tools such as telescopes and microscopes that challenge us to discover the illusive, invisible and immeasurable.

In the How Things Work node, guests explore the mechanics that changed the world. Whether for manufacturing, building public infrastructures, or processing food or oil to sustain millions of lives, the tools in this gallery have altered human society. From the machines that build, to those that transport, visitors learn about mobility and speed in the Here to There node, which features vessels that carry humans and the things we humans like to carry with us. Velocity and motion give way to sustainability and wellbeing in the How We Live node, which spotlights the tools we use to live, work, play or heal and how they impact our health and the health of our planet.

The crown jewel of this gallery is The Human Face of Technology. Comprised of a 360-degree screen featuring uploaded videos of people saying what there favorite technology is and why, this exhibit can be seen by visitors from almost every angle throughout the entire museum. Not only does the Human Face of Technology provide a beautiful centerpiece for this dynamic space, it offers a personal angle to the technology story, one that extends far beyond the tools, gadgets and machines we use everyday.

Our final area juxtaposes this technology story by exposing the guests to the elements of nature. Science-in-the-Park, an outdoor exhibit area, offers a variety of entertaining science experiences entitled “Nature’s Artful Play.” The 800-square-meter park features four play pockets: Water, Math, Music and Living. The Math Pocket offers exhibits such as a fulcrum and a curved climbing wall, which challenge both the mind and senses in a fun and whimsical way. Visitors of all size and ages can play indigenous drums, a large flute, or a singing forest of wind chimes in the Music Pocket. “Wild” is the word in the Living Pocket, with creatures such as cobras, eagles and dragonflies allowing guests to “get into their heads” and plants demonstrating their capacities to filter water. Finally, guests can unleash the power of water by turning an Archimedes screw, spinning a water wheel or chasing bubbles in the Water Pocket.

The Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. designed The Mind Museum experience to extend far beyond the guest’s actual physical visit. Through virtual exhibits such as “Light the Northern Hemisphere,” “Catch a Comet,” or “Explore Nature’s Basic Ingredients,” visitors continue their learning and are inspired to return to the museum.

“It was an honor and a pleasure to work with The Mind Museum, and it is a thrill to see it open,” said Matthew Wheeler, JRA Senior Project Director. “We greatly enjoyed collaborating with the BAFI team and have always appreciated their passion for this project and science education in general.”

Manny Bias II, Managing Director of The Mind Museum and BAFI, also enjoyed the spirit of teamwork and goodwill exemplified in the project, “The JRA people didn't just do great work for The Mind Museum, they became great friends. After they completed the contracted work, they kept in touch with us to check on our progress, and to just spur us on. When we opened the museum five years later, JRA was there to celebrate with us.”

JRA would like to congratulate everyone at BAFI and The Mind Museum on a successful opening. We’re sure this auspicious beginning is a sign of great things to come.

 

Tags: Asia , JRA Journeys , Outside the Studio , Project Spotlight

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The Mind Museum Opening, Part 2: Nature's Building Blocks

March 20, 2012

For Part 2 of our celebration of The Mind Museum’s grand opening, we’ll visit two more of the science center’s galleries – one offering a glimpse of Nature’s work in macro terms, the second distilling everything around us into a fraction of a particle.

The Human Brain

The Story of Life features the defining exhibit of The Mind Museum – “The Human Brain.” One of the largest exhibits in the museum, The Human Brain features consoles on memory, the senses and motion and is designed with interactive multi-media illustrating what happens to our brains through various moods (e.g., sadness, joy, and fear). Another Story of Life gallery, “Adaptations,” offers a three-part tutorial on how different animals adapt to their surroundings, such as camouflage and mimicry. Guests can also enjoy an interactive 3D exhibit of the human body, a Bernoulli blower, and a walk-through exhibit documenting the evolution of mammals from sea to land to air.

Big Small Wonders

Given that the topic of life is so vast, there is a vast array of exhibit experiences in The Story of Life. Guests continue their journey by viewing “Big Small Wonders” through a microscope and seeing their finds magnified on a monitor. They deepen their understanding of genes through “Gifts Through the Past: Chromosomes” and compare numbers of species through the free-standing exhibit “Rooms of Life: Sizes and Shapes.” Other exhibits educate visitors on the topics of the human body, evolution and the interconnectedness of life. Through The Story of Life, children and adults alike are reminded that although we are uniquely “us,” we are all part of the global life network.

The Story of The Atom gallery

The Story of The Atom takes the grandness of life and distills it into its smallest building blocks. With more interactive exhibits than any other gallery, it contains the very elemental forces that we so often take for granted – gravity and electromagnetism. The highlight of the gallery is the Atom Centerpiece, which features “Atom in A Box,” a fascinating 3D visualization of an atom developed by a physicist. While serving as the building block of life, the atom is also the building block for the technologies we use everyday – from TVs to computers, cell phones to tablets. In this gallery, guests can witness the chaotic motion of a levitating pendulum, make lights glow different colors by adjusting pressure and gasses, activate a human-powered Tesla coil, and learn that “Everything is Made of Atoms” through a sculptural exhibit featuring a deconstructed chocolate bar. JRA designed this gallery to move these microscopic particles and invisible forces into the context of everyday life, creating a larger story around the infinitesimal atom.

This deconstructed chocolate bar shows how everything is made of atoms.

“With a science exhibition designer, you would need a group that respects the story that you bring to the project,” said Maribel Garcia of Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc. “JRA not only respected our concepts, they helped refine them and build a story around them that was wonderful to behold. It was like seeing your distilled imagination cloaked in shapes and color ready to step into reality!”

Two small guests have a hair-raising experience in The Story of The Atom.

For these last two days, we’ve examined The Mind Museum galleries that focus on the foundations of the past (The Universe, The Earth) and the building blocks of our present (Life, The Atom). Tomorrow, we’ll focus on the future through the museum’s The Story of Technology gallery, before ending our tour outside with “Nature’s Artful Play” in Science-in-the-Park.
 

Tags: Asia , JRA Journeys , Outside the Studio , Project Spotlight

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Free Your Mind: The Mind Museum Opens in the Philippines

March 19, 2012

The long-anticipated opening of The Mind Museum has finally arrived, as this state-of-the-art science center opened its doors to the public last Friday. Part of the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, The Mind Museum hosts over 250 interactive “minds-on” and “hand-on” exhibits, making it the first world-class science museum in the Philippines.

Jack Rouse Associates, in collaboration with the Bonifacio Arts Foundation Inc. (BAFI), provided master planning, conceptual and schematic design for this 4,900-square-meter facility. There are so many wonderful experiences here, we couldn’t contain them in just one post, so over the next three days we’ll be profiling all of the wonderful exhibits and attractions that The Mind Museum has to offer.

Visitors begin their journey in the spacious Mariano K. Tan Hall lobby. While in the introductory hall, they are welcomed by a robot, created by Japanese company Kokoro, Ltd., who introduces them to the overall mission of the museum. Guests then encounter the “Ten Most Beautiful Experiments”, an audio-visual exploration of major scientific breakthroughs, such as when Sir Isaac Newton discovered that white light has all the colors of the rainbow.

Once visitors have passed through the lobby, they can choose among the five gallery spaces, all of which offer compelling stories related to science and technology. The galleries are linked (both spatially and contextually) by a series of exhibits and audio-visual presentations called “Nature’s Webways.” In the first gallery, The Story of the Universe, visitors learn how all life began in the stars of space. At its center is the Spaceshell, a mini-planetarium that can hold 50 visitors at one time. Rather than sitting on chairs, guests lie on cushions so as to mimic looking up at the night sky. As they gaze upward, they see films on the planets and the stars.

“What is on Mars?”, another feature of The Story of The Universe, offers guests the opportunity to learn more about the Red Planet thanks to data provided by NASA. They can maneuver a remote-controlled rover over a simulated Martian landscape or “try on” a 3D spacesuit. Other features in this area include a mechanical representation of Einstein’s Theory, an interactive model of the solar system, a suspended model of the moon that can be manipulated by the guest, audio-visual pods that simulate the sounds of space and an LCD display that poses the age-old question, “are we alone?”

From the far reaches of space, guests shift their gaze homeward to The Story of The Earth. In this gallery, they’ll meet Stan, the first cast of a T-Rex to be exhibited in the Philippines. At over 40-feet tall, Stan is the most complete T-Rex cast ever found. He is displayed along with a simulated excavation, where guests can pretend to dig for fossils. Featuring natural history from 4.6 million years ago, The Story of The Earth also offers exhibits such as “Nature’s Hourglass”, a 50-seat amphitheater and virtual time machine that offers two short films on the story of our planet. Guests can receive the latest on the Earth’s typhoons, volcanoes and more through “Knowing Home: Floating Globe,” travel through zones representing the five plant and animal kingdoms through the “Canopy of Life”, maneuver an earthquake simulation table, replicate a volcano eruption or recreate a swirling tornado. All of these experiences aim to better connect the guest with our dynamic planet.

JRA strove to design these galleries as dynamic and engaging spheres of learning that would inspire the youth of the Philippines to explore the realms of science and technology and bolster the country’s growing reputation for innovation.

“When choosing the design team that would work with us in The Mind Museum,” said Manny Bias II, Managing Director of BAFI and The Mind Museum, “we looked for both talent and chemistry. We had to make that judgment based on videoconference interviews. It turned out that the JRA designers were more than telegenic – they are designers that could help us visualize our vision; they understood our limitations; and they were just a fun team to work with.

These galleries are only a small glimpse of all there is to explore at The Mind Museum. Tomorrow we’ll discover more of its rich offerings, as we journey into The Story of Life and the Story of the Atom.
 

Tags: Asia , JRA Journeys , Project Spotlight

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JRA Journeys: Museum Conference World Tour 2011 - ASPAC

June 02, 2011

In keeping with our recent JRA Journeys: Asia segments, VP of Marketing Shawn McCoy offers insight on his Museum Conference World Tour.  First stop - Guangzhou, China.

One of the best things about working here at JRA is the fact that part of our job is to attend conferences and visit a variety of museums and attractions around the world.  Last month, many of those conferences fell over the course of three consecutive weeks.

Today’s post takes an in-depth look at the first conference on our “world tour”:   ASPAC – The Association of Asia-Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres, which was held at the Guangdong Science Center in Guangzhou, China.

The Guangdong Science Center is the largest in the world, with a structural area of 137,500 meters (1,480,000 square feet) of space.  While the size of the building is certainly impressive, the first thing you notice as you approach the building is its beautiful design, which is inspired by the form of an open flower.

The opening reception of the conference was very entertaining and featured a variety of traditional Chinese performances, including entertaining acts by groups of dancers, acrobats and musicians. 

The next day I had the opportunity to walk through the science center which features a number of state-of-the art galleries, including the Children’s World gallery designed by JRA.  I was fortunate enough to be treated to a guided tour of the gallery by two of the science center’s young and energetic staff members, who said that the gallery is very popular, and is visited by over 3,000 guests each day on the weekend.  Despite having been opened for three years with heavy visitation, the gallery looked brand new, which is a testament to the science center’s dedication to maintenance and cleanliness.  My favorite parts of the gallery include the children’s driving school and repair shop, the walk-through cave and forest area and an interactive exhibit teaching kids how moon pies are made.

The conference itself was very informative, very well organized and well attended, with delegates from a variety of Asia-Pacific science centers.

The theme of the conference was “The Missions of Modern Science Centers and Museums: Opportunities and Challenges,” and there were a variety of thought-provoking presentations.  One of my favorite presentations was a video detailing how the Petrosains Discovery Centre in Malaysia sent a variety of delegates to the Science Alive! science center in New Zealand after that country’s recent earthquake. Not only did the Petrosains representatives provide valuable guidance to the science center on how to present entertaining outreach programs, but also provided the citizens of Christchurch with a bit of welcome distraction from recent events.

The closing ceremony was held on a riverboat that took delegate up and down the beautiful Pearl River, which features a variety of stunning architectural wonders, including the colorful Guangzhou TV Tower and the iconic Liede Bridge.

Next week, we take a look at the next conference we attended on our tour:  AAM – The American Association of Museums conference held in Houston.
 

Tags: Asia , JRA Journeys

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JRA Journeys: Malaysia and the Philippines

June 01, 2011

Selamat siang (“good afternoon” in Malay)! For our last JRA Journey through Asia, we’ll be visiting the beautiful countries of Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Driving over the South China Sea via a bridge from our last stop in Singapore, we arrive in Malaysia.  This constitutional monarchy achieved independence from the British Empire in 1957 and is split into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo.   Malaysia comprises many ethnic groups and languages and has a strong tradition in literature and music to contrast its science and technology economy.

We recently highlighted the opening of the KidzWorld pavilion at the National Science Centre of Malaysia (Pusat Sains Negara) in Kuala Lumpur.  Jack Rouse Associates also provided conceptual design work and master planning for Lok Lawi Seaside Resort, a planned 50-acre tourist attraction in Kota Kinabalu, Shabah on the northern coast of Borneo.  Phase I included a themed entertainment area, featuring a large wave pool and several water rides throughout the adult area, teenage area and children’s play area.  The theme is based on the tropical flora, fauna and architecture specific to the region.  Phase II involved the development of several themed thrill rides, including a rapid river ride, spill-water ride, flume ride, adult bumper boat rides and the addition of several water slides.

We now travel east back over the South China Sea until we reach the Philippines.  With 92 million people of various cultures and ethnicities, the Philippines is the 12th most populated country in the world.  With Magellan’s “discovery” of the Philippines in 1521 (people had inhabited the Philippines since prehistoric times), the island nation came under Spanish control (the country is named after King Philip II of Spain).  It remained Spanish until the early 20th Century, when the United States took over, but finally gained independence after World War II.  Its culture melds its Spanish and American influences with traditions found in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

In Taguig, in the district of the Filipino capital of Manila, construction is underway for the Mind Museum.  This innovative new science center will serve as the cultural anchor for Bonifacio Global City, a new 593-acre development, and will feature 4,900 square meters of interactive science and technology exhibitions within five major galleries.  The goal of the Mind Museum is to convey important and accurate science principles through the use of interactive, multi-media and multi-sensory exhibits firmly based in a story context.  Current story topics include The Universe, Life, Nature, the Atom and Technology.

Each of the major exhibit galleries, or “spheres,” will include an iconic “centerpiece,” which will be surrounded by 25 to 30 exhibits embedded within the overall gallery aesthetic and/or architecture.  Corridors connecting the five spheres will provide further opportunities for interpretation and immersion within the various story themes.  JRA provided master planning, conceptual and schematic design for this innovative project.

That brings us to the end of our JRA Journeys through Asia.  If you’re in the area, be sure to visit our JRA offices in Kuala Lumpur!  Join us next time, as we head west to visit JRA’s projects in the Middle East. Till then, we wish you safe journeys of your own, and remember – it’s never too late to have an adventure!  Paalam (“Goodbye” in Tagalong)!

 

Tags: Asia , JRA Journeys

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