Changing Earth at the Franklin Institute

Changing Earth at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is about land, air, and water, and how these have changed and continue to change on our planet. There’s a lot happening in this exhibit and it was sometimes overstimulating, but overall it was nicely designed, interesting and informative, with clear “take-home” messages and memorable interactive experiences.

The designers (Adirondack Studios in upstate NY) used environmentally-sensitive materials throughout the exhibit. This description from the museum’s website gives an overview: Flooring is made from recycled content and post-consumer waste products. All wood is Forest Stewardship Council certified or bamboo; the metal is recyclable; paint is low-VOC, and graphics are printed on recycled material using water-based inks.

I visited this exhibit about a year ago, not too long after it opened (and wrote this post about another exhibit that had opened at the same time). Details are a little hazy I’m afraid, but here are some photographic memories. And if you want to check it/them out in person both exhibits are still on view.

The centerpoint of the exhibit was a giant satellite-Earth dome (photo above). Inside was an introductory film.

I love two-tone dimensional letters…

Above, right: An example of the direct-to-substrate printing used throughout the exhibit.

Text was super-short and to the point, making for more memorable key messages.

The exhibit was full of interactives and touchable displays.”Jump here” was an earthquake simulator.