A Layered Life

Client:
The California Academy of Sciences museum

San Francisco, CA

2018

Visitors bring to life 3 animated whales by moving along a timeline. As the whale swims to the right, it reveals stories about what scientists learn from specimens of each species.

Part of the Giants of Land and Sea exhibit

Touchscreen with content about reading the layers of specimens to know the lives of whales (similar to reading tree rings). Each story is brought to life by visitor engagement with the stop-motion style art.

In Situ

This interactive was installed below a case of the 3 specimens the interactive focused on. Baleen from a blue whale, teeth from a sperm whale, and ear wax from a fin whale.

Key Screens

1. Home Screen. The three whale illustrations swim in place until the visitor selects a story.
2. At the start of each story this screen helps teach the visitor how to use the interactive.
3. Example of sperm whale tooth graphic with lines highlighting the year rings. The rings animate as the timeline is progressed.
4. Blue whale story. As the small whale along the timeline is dragged to the right the text highlights and the illustration animates.
5. Pop out graphics reveal photos and specimens into the illustration. Along the timeline, the circles represent when the next chapter in the story starts.
6. Additional content was included to enhance the story. This content, accessed through buttons in each story, was included for the deep learning visitors.
7. Inside the “deep dive” pop up content a visitor can swipe to progress the carousel or use the L/R buttons.
8. Infographics were a key way of explaining the microscopic science.
GIF of stop motion animation when the visitor moves the small whale along the timeline.