Tag: CMNH

A Little Cool… The Climate Change Exhibit at CMNH

A Little Cool… The Climate Change Exhibit at CMNH

This weekend I went to the Climate Change exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The exhibit has some interactive exhibits, and lots of printed text information which talks about the changing atmosphere, ice, ocean, and land. – and promotes the idea that climate change is the defining issue of the 21st century.

The exhibit is organized in a roundabout matter – there was not a clear entry or access point – and I observed other visitors entering and exiting from various points of the exhibit.   There are some things that are interesting to see –  including a large saltwater tank with coral, a stuffed polar bear who appears to be walking on a giant pile of garbage, and lots of exhibits with buttons to push.

Though I found some of displays interesting, I found the use of text to be overwhelming – it was like walking through a book.  I also found the layout of the show to be confusing.  I ended up wandering around cruising the exhibits – “power skimming” the text and content.  I saw lots of kids climbing on the large windmill wing that was on display, and admiring the large buoy at the front of the show while their parents looked on – but I did not hear many people talking about the content.

The show had a 10 minute movie which featured charts, text, and information – and was inline with the information heavy quality of the show.

One engaging interactive piece of the show is a interactive large ipod-like table – where you can interact with a large touchscreen – and pick topics that you would like to learn more information about – and put in your email to get the information sent to you.  This piece was added to the show by CMNH.  This was a place that I saw many visitors go to and interact with.

The show overall made me think about the power of art  – and how art can engage an audience and  communicate a message  – and not depend on text as its sole point of engagement.

One of the highlights of the show was a exhibit on a curved wall that used small color strips to show temperature change over time. It had a abstract quality to it – and the wall showed strips that were different values of red and blue – The piece was visually interesting and in a quiet, simple way – showed the climate temperature change through color.  The strong visual impact of the piece drew me in to learn more – and I read the information, reviewed the charts and maps, and probably learned the most from this exhibit which was at the back of the show.

When I talked to museum staff about the reaction to the show, they said that many visitors avoid the show  – perhaps to avoid the topic, or due to disinterest.

Overall, the show demonstrated the challenge of trying to introduce the controversial topic of climate change and do it in a engaging and informative matter.

Seeing this show for me was a reminder of the power of art to engage and inform an audience – and the potential of metaphor, abstraction, and aesthetics as a tool to get visitors interested in a topic.

Links:

See images and read about the Exhibit at the CMNH website

Online aricle about the exhibit with video clips on Cleveland.com

 

Want to buy a energy smarthome?

Want to buy a energy smarthome?

The PNC ultra-high-tech SmartHome, which was constructed last spring on site at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, moved yesterday to its permanent site on Wade Park Avenue and is for sale.  The house was put on a large flatbed – and was driven to its new location.

The Smart home is all-electric, but is designed to use 90% less heating and cooling energy than a typical home. While on site at CMNH, over 10,000 people toured the house.

The home was designed by Chuck Miller of Doty & Miller Architects in Cleveland. Certified Passive House Consultant Mark Hoberecht of HarvestBuild Associates will oversee SmartHome Cleveland’s adherence to the standards of the Passive House Institute US.

The home’s construction on its temporary site at the museum coincided with the exhibit on global climate change on display at the museum .  It also was timed with Cleveland’s 10-year campaign to remake the region’s economy through sustainable business practices which  named 2011 – the year of energy efficiency.

The super-energy efficient, two-story house is for sale and is listed with Howard Hanna for $329,000.

 View the house listing

Read more about the house on CMNH.org

Image credit : Lisa DeJohn, The Plain Dealer Monday October 24th