By Judith Rubin

On November 3, 2006, Griffith Observatory reopened after a successful redo of the entire facility, a four-year, $93 million project. First opened in 1935, it was the fulfillment of Griffith J. Griffith’s vision of a public scientific and educational institution. Griffith Observatory has stood as a national leader in public astronomy education, a beloved civic gathering place, and one of Southern California's most popular attractions. Griffith Observatory is also a well-known visual and cultural icon of Los Angeles. Its elegant triple dome, crowning Mount Hollywood, has popped up in numerous films over the decades, including Rebel Without a Cause and The Terminator. The Observatory has been called the “Hood Ornament of Los Angeles.”

But even an institution so well conceived that its exhibits capture the public interest for 70 years eventually needs an update. By the time it closed for the makeover, the many original 1930s exhibits that had been retained through the decades were very well worn - by the roughly 70 million visitors who had passed through Griffith’s doors. Griffith Observatory was in need of rejuvenation – but wisely chose a course that would preserve everything that was loved and admired about the original while at the same time bringing the institution into the present and preparing it for the future. Griffith deputy director Mark Pine (below far right) outlined the main points of that course: “…renovation of the existing building, expansion below ground to create more public space, complete re-imagining of the Samuel Oschin Planetarium and the design and development of an inspiring new exhibit program.” There was no indication that operations or marketing would significantly change. “Griffith didn’t expand to increase attendance but to make the experience better for the people who were already coming,” said Pine.

The completed project more than doubled the area of the facility, adding 39,600 square feet to Griffith’s existing 27,300 square feet of exhibit space, while preserving the original building exterior and footprint. The original murals, details and artwork, as well as many of the flagship exhibits, such as its Tesla coil producing lightning strikes throughout the day, and giant Foucault Pendulum clock – both groundbreaking in their time and highly cherished by fans - have been lovingly maintained. Mr Griffith had intended to include a lecture hall/presentation theater in his original building, and the expansion has fulfilled these original intentions by means of the 2,700-square-foot, 200-seat multimedia Event Horizon Theater and classroom. Collaborating closely with project architect Pfeiffer Partners Architects Inc. (Los Angeles), Auerbach Pollock Friedlander (San Francisco) provided theater consulting on the planetarium redo, which features a new, 76-foot-diameter dome from E&S Spitz (Chadds Ford, PA) outfitted with an Evans & Sutherland Digistar 3 fulldome video system.  A new café and bookstore were also added.

The New Exhibit Design Team

The star of the refreshed Observatory, which was created to honor the heavenly bodies above, is underground: the new multi-level gallery featuring more than 60 new exhibits.

Mark Pine spoke of the need for exhibits that actively involve the visitor with unique out-of-home experiences. “The philosophy of the exhibit program is about turning the visitor into an observer of the universe,” he said. “We favor large, demonstrable things that you wouldn’t see in school, or your home, or on your computer.” To realize that concept, Pine directed a bicoastal exhibit design team, starting with designer C&G Partners LLC (New York, NY). “We needed someone we could work interactively with,” said Pine.

Also contracted to Griffith were exhibit fabricator Maltbie Inc. (located in Mount Laurel, NJ and since Jan 07 owned by Toronto-based Kubik Inc.), and media producer Russell Brosnahan Haffner Multimedia (RBH Media, Dobbs Ferry, NY). Based closer to home is AV systems integrator Mad Systems Inc. (Orange, Calif.), headed by CEO Maris Ensing (right).

In this article, we look at three examples in which classic exhibition and storytelling methods are supercharged with leading edge technology to satisfy a new generation of museum-goers and uphold the Griffith “brand.” They are 1) telluria that physically demonstrate the effects of the Sun and Moon on Earth’s environment by showing actual models of the movement of planets and moons, 2) “Magic Box” object theaters that illustrate significant astronomical principles and moments in history, and 3) a master control system and remote support network that support smooth operations, timely maintenance, and updates - facilitated by Mad Systems over a secure Internet link. These facets of the new Griffith highlight the critical role that a technical integrator or systems designer plays in the creation and even the conceptualization of modern museum exhibits. As Jonathan Alger, who with Kevin Sayama headed up the exhibit design team for C&G Partners, put it, “These were very custom magical effects. But without Maris Ensing and the Mad Systems team, they were great ideas that didn’t exist yet.”

Telluria

“Although we live in a world of virtual reality with 3D modeling on the screen, there is nothing like a physical exhibit to get your message across,” said Alger.

Telluria (above right) are working mechanical models that depict the orbits of the Moon around the Earth, and of the Earth and Moon around the Sun. From scientific instruments to gentlemen’s tabletop curiosities to large-scale museum exhibits, in one form or another telluria have fascinated scientists and the public alike for hundreds of years.  C&G designed a set of four to illustrate the tides, the seasons, eclipses, and the phases of the moon. This classic mode of presentation was updated with modern AV components and a very subtle approach to the exposed mechanisms of earlier times.

Each of Griffith Observatory’s four new telluria revolves in its own sky dome, suspended overhead. Through the precise integration of micro-electromechanical systems, and an advanced multitasking video server and show controller, the video displayed as part of each exhibit is synchronized accurately with the movements of the telluria. As, for instance, the Tide tellurium rotates in its alcove, the visitor sees a video of a fishing boat against a pier rising and falling with the tide. Similarly, a viewer can watch the changing of the seasons or the phases of the moon on the overhead display. The Eclipse tellurium’s operation required the most sophisticated integration. Its six-inch, custom-built model Earth contains the mechanisms that control not only its own rate of rotation, but the movements of a miniature Moon whose complex orbit shows the manner in which eclipses follow various paths across Earth, all coordinated with the video and graphic displays built into the larger exhibit.

The result would strike a chord with Mr Griffith, while employing technology he could only have dreamed of. Mark Pine calls it the “God’s eye view.” Said Pine, “You don’t often see a physical model expressing why we have tides or eclipses because it is very hard to demonstrate in a physical form. Here are four very typical things that happen in the sky. Yet, you can’t look up into the sky and see why there are seasons. But by observing the model, and seeing the screen images interacting with the model, you get that ‘aha’ sense of, ‘Oh, so that’s why it happens.’”

Based on C&G’s conceptual diagrams, Mad Systems designed and built the intricate mechanisms in their in-house mechanical workshop facility. They then used 3D modeling software to render the miniature moons, suns and earths and fed this information to their in-house rapid prototyping machine, which turned out the physical parts in 3-D sections of ABS plastic. Built into the mini-planets was the capacity for their miniature internal lighting and custom mechanical drives, also created and installed by Mad. The tightly synchronized movements of all components are precisely controlled by Mad’s proprietary Snap video server.

The end result is all the more effective because of its elegance. None of this technical complexity intrudes on the visitor experience. “We couldn’t care less about having the latest technology unless it aids in telling a story,” said Mark Pine.

Maris Ensing concurs. Technology may be his specialty, but education is his passion. “The technology is something that we enjoy designing and building – but it is always secondary to the principle or story that we’re asked to express,” said Ensing. “We spend a lot of time making sure that the designers’ intent is met with a solution that is subtle, and explicitly clear, so that when visitors watch our work, they’ll see the story rather than a lot of electronics and mechanical devices.”

Magic Boxes

 Griffith Observatory’s five new Magic Boxes, object theaters reminiscent of classic dioramas, are rooted in display techniques that go back generations, and, as with the telluria, their production was a highly collaborative process. “It was really a negotiation with what Maris thought could be done,” remarked Alger. With the incorporation of technologies that enable unprecedented levels of accuracy and realism, they seem truly magical in their deceptive simplicity.

 Each Magic Box contains a miniature, theatrical set inside a cabinet some 48 inches wide by 60 inches deep and 40 inches high. Each recreates a location and an event of historic importance in the development or use of astronomy. Three of the five contain live-action images that move about and interact with the settings, making use of the time-honored Pepper’s Ghost theatrical illusion. The scenes were drawn by C&G, which specified the educational points each display would make. RBH Media created the videos, including scripting, casting, and costuming. Mad Systems played an extensive technical design role that reached into the gray areas between integration, fabrication and production.

One of the displays depicts indigenous people of the Andes using observations of the stars to predict El Niño weather patterns (high atmosphere moisture can be detected by carefully counting the visible stars in the Seven Sisters constellation). Another  (left) depicts a Native American of the Southwest using Sun observations to time agricultural activities. To build the sets for these two, Mad Systems created 3D renderings of the geographic locations, based on satellite data from Google Earth, and then reproduced them to scale with the rapid prototyping machine.

Similarly, a combination of archeological data and an artist’s rendering were used to create a miniature scale model of the temple of Apollo at Pompeii, site of one of the earliest known sundials, with the rapid prototyping turning out 3-D sections of ABS plastic – the result is a 36”x24”x18” exact miniature replica of the temple, possibly the most accurate one ever made. The rapid prototyper was on the job again, along with a laser cutter, to create a model of Tycho Brahe’s 16th century observatory, one of the first in the Western world. Model makers used traditional techniques to finish the sets and landscapes by hand.

The Andean, Pompeii, and Brahe Magic Boxes were also animated through the use of scaled-down, live-action 3D video images. In this modern Pepper’s Ghost application, the video images are projected onto custom-made Mylar mirrors - which according to Ensing avoid the bothersome secondary reflections that happen with glass - so that there seem to be three-dimensional figures moving about the landscapes and sets. The Pompeii Magic Box depicts two characters arranging to meet back at the sundial at a specific time, while the Brahe box contains images of a group of astronomers taking star measurements. The Andean scene is of two South American Indians standing in a historically correct location to detect the coming of an El Niño year.

The actors were photographed in digital video against a green screen (above left) with the video feed being simultaneously projected into the display as it was shot. This allowed the videographer (RBH Media, working at Mad System’s facility) to direct the actors while viewing the results on the spot inside the Magic Box environment. “We knew from previous projects that to preserve the Pepper’s Ghost illusion and provide the optimal guest experience, it is essential to get the alignment between the actors and the physical elements absolutely accurate.” said Ensing. “We therefore arranged for all the photography to happen in our own workshop, so that we could see the actors inside the ‘Ghosts’ and adjust their positions and movements while the shoot was taking place. That way, I felt satisfied that we would not have to worry about any alignment-related issues, and would be able to produce a perfect ‘Ghost.’”

The images are displayed in the Magic Boxes using a combination of LCD screens hidden in the bottom of the box, outside the visitors’ field of view, assisted by neutral density filters to increase the contrast and improve image quality.

Remote Support Network

As new technology adds new levels of complexity to museum displays, reliability and flexibility must be preserved. The computers and servers supporting the telluria and magic box exhibits as well as all the other 50-some exhibits at the Observatory are supported by a remote network connection – a secure, virtual private network (VPN) that enables Mad Systems to play a continuing role in the maintenance and updating of the displays. The setup allows the integrators to see what is on the screens at any time, and enables performance tracking, changes, and adjustments to be made without a site visit, allowing for maximum efficiency and rapid response times. They can even turn individual exhibits on and off so that it is possible to do after-hours work if necessary without having anyone physically present at the Observatory.

 The remote network allows a facility to take on the most sophisticated technology and remain robust without having to move away from its core identity and purpose within the community. Its staff of educators and presenters can retain their customary roles and duties. “Remote support lets educators be educators and techs be techs, and it protects the institution’s investment,” observed Maris Ensing. “This kind of arrangement enables us to stay involved with our installation and to respond to concerns as soon as they arise. As the company that specified, installed and commissioned the equipment and systems, we are the best qualified to keep it going – not only during the first months of fine-tuning after opening, but afterwards as well, for general maintenance and updating. We have a stake in keeping Griffith online and we take the responsibility seriously. All too often, due to personnel turnover, a museum can lose track of just what its equipment is capable of and how best to keep it going. Remote support allows us to keep things going regardless.”

Griffith Observatory’s new exhibits – and its control and support systems – are transporting the imaginations of new generations of visitors into the skies. The successful makeover required a keen understanding of the essential public meaning of Griffith as a cultural icon, as a visual statement, and as a public educator – not only how it perceived itself, but also how it was and is perceived within the community. The new/old Griffith Observatory is a vivid accomplishment – an optimal marriage of technology, tradition and storytelling, and an example of creative teamwork at its best.

Judith Rubin (www.judithrubin.blogspot.com) is editorial adviser to Blooloop.

Originally printed in Exhibit Builder magazine, 2008 and reprinted with kind permission.
Images: Top - Eagle Nebula dust cloud,  NASA, ESA, STScI/AURA
Others: kind permission Griffith Observatory.