Giants of Land & Sea
Giants of Land and Sea explores interconnected systems that shape Northern California’s coast and give rise to magnificent—and often giant—life.
Redwood Ascent immersive media: stunning footage shot on location in an old-growth forest takes visitors from the lush forest floor to the top of a 300-foot-tall redwood tree.
Towering coast redwoods, majestic whales, and massive tectonic forces serve as entry points to explore the extraordinary biodiversity in the museum’s backyard, and the scientists and citizens taking action every day to sustain it.
This was the first multilingual exhibition at California Academy of Science, with interpretation in four languages: English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and Filipino.
More than 190 specimens, objects, and models—including an 87-foot blue whale skeleton, other articulated marine mammal skeletons, and a 9-foot-diameter coast redwood cross-section—fill an 8,000 square-foot gallery.
With 25 digital media and hands-on interactives and 3 immersive experiences, visitors dive into the giant forces that connect our coast from the ocean’s edge to coastal mountains and ancient redwood forests.
Exhibits explore how terrestrial, marine, and climatic systems merge and shape coastal California.
In an immersive Fog Room, visitors can imagine themselves amidst towering redwood trees shrouded in billowing fog.
The Fog Room is filled with drifting fog and the sounds of a redwood forest.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Project Type & Size
Long-Term Exhibition
8000 square feet
Location
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Project Role
Director of Exhibit Development: project & editorial direction, coaching and supervision of experience and content developers, liaison with C-suite decision-makers, collaborate on marketing and communications planning.
Collaborators
California Academy of Sciences: Exhibit Studio, Creative Studio, Visualization Studio, Experience Engineering, Interactive, Curatorial & Collections staff
Fabrication: Cinnabar
Video Production (Redwood Ascent): Eco-Ascension Research and Consulting
Multilingual Translation: Yellow Cow Consulting, Eriksen Translation
Media
Live plants and diorama elements illustrate the richness of the redwood forest understory.
Visitors explore the life story of an 800-year-old redwood tree by marveling at a 9-foot-diameter cross-section and using the accompanying interactive kiosk.
A sculptural arrangement of marine mammal skeletons invites visitors to notice variations in anatomy suited to gliding, diving, and hauling out on shore.
Image credits (all): Kathryn Whitney © California Academy of Sciences