Project Title: Human Evolution: Witnessing Evolution, Curious People- Penn Museum 

Museum/ Institution:  University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum)

Media Category: Immersives/Theaters

Program Created: Opened- September 2011

Program URL (if available):  http://www.penn.museum/sites/surviving/index.html

Project Image(s) and/or Video

        Installation- full view                                              Close up of chairs                                         View of table from last chair

Media Source(s)/Credit(s):

Lina Candrella, March 2014

Program Description: (150-250 words)

Dominating most of the right wall of the exhibit space are 8 partitioned listening areas. The first is a cubicle sized, wheelchair accessible space, while the remaining seven take the form of over-sized “study” chairs. The seven chairs represent seven different "curious people" in the study of human evolution from Linnaeus and Darwin to Mary Leakey. In front of the chairs is a table that matches the furniture motif filled with specimens under glass domes as if in a 19^th century lab, or study, or museum. These specimens correspond to each of the people. When a user sits in one of the chairs, or within the cubical, they can select one of three buttons (or one of seven) that have a single question (or the name and face of the person) on it. Audio from different voice actors then answers the question as if they were said historical figure. Speakers imbedded on either side of the chair’s interior partitions play the audio.

Firsthand or secondary review/critique: (150-250 words) 

Overall, I found this installation quite fun and informative. It was very user friendly and audio clips were not overly long. Additionally, the feature of sitting down to listen made the experience much more enjoyable as a user can take a break and really concentrate on the information. I also enjoyed being able to choose which question I wanted answered and having the ability to choose not to listen to some answers. I also was very happy with the cubicle that accommodated those with physical handicaps.

In my opinion the installation only had two drawbacks. First, the audio level is very loud. Initially, I was using this interactive by myself, and was in the gallery by myself, and thus found no need to lean all the way back in the chair to listen. The audio level did not bother me. However, I when a second user started to play the audio in the chair next to me I found it necessary to lean all the way back to just hear my audio and then it was far too loud. The second drawback is that while the table is placed so that people can easily walk around the table, and get in and out of the chairs without difficulty it makes it hard to see some of the specimens referenced when listening to the audio. Therefore it was more important to listen to the audio, take note of which specimen to look at, and examine it in more detail once finished with listening.

Technologies incorporated: 

Audio- Recording, editing and playback, speakers, buttons

 Internally or externally produced: 

It is assumed that content was written in house, while production was handled externally.

Entry Contributor and Date: Lina Candrella, March 11, 2014

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