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Robert Larue (Bob) Miller

Bob Miller’s creative practice was defined by an "unhardening of the categories," as he used to say—a refusal to accept formal categories of study such as science, art, math, or engineering. Instead, he called himself a "natural philosopher" and made a practice of wandering, musing, hypothesizing, and collaborating, building new questions on the backs of the old ones.

Miller was born in Niagara Falls and studied at Hiram College in Ohio. After working for a short time with the army at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico, he began computer programming at IBM, later joining the Merchant Marines and eventually settling in San Francisco. Fascinated by optics, he began to construct artful experiments using natural light and prisms in his small apartment.

During a visit from Exploratorium Founding Director Frank Oppenheimer in 1970, Miller was offered a job at the museum that lasted nearly 20 years. His early investigations gave way to the creation of the museum’s Artist-in-Residence program, and he played several roles on staff, including exhibit developer, teacher, and assistant director. He designed and built a number of beloved and iconic exhibits at the museum that focus on light, color, shadow, and perception including: Sun Painting (1970); Sophisticated Shadows (1980); Cheshire Cat (1978); Everyone Is You and Me (1980); and Aurora (1976).

But perhaps his most enduring contribution was the most ephemeral: Miller’s Light Walk was a pedagogical walking tour that lasted from an hour to an entire day, illuminating principles of light using simple yet ingenious props and tools. Those lucky enough to experience a Walk never see the world in quite the same way.

 

Related Exhibits

Anti-Gravity Mirror
Anti-Gravity Mirror

Here’s an exhibit where watching is at least half the fun. You can create any number of gravity-defying illusions that will amaze you and your friends: Levitate, fly, swim though the air, grow limbs (and dissolve them), crawl straight up the wall like a lizard—the sky’s the limit.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Aurora
Aurora

A reflector stretches light from colored tiles into long bright ribbons.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Catch the Sound Waves
Catch the Sound Waves

These simple glass tubes separate the sounds of the Exploratorium into distinct tones.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat

Make your partner's face disappear, leaving only a smile.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Christmas Tree Balls
Christmas Tree Balls

There are captivating reflections in a box of ornaments.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Distilled Light
Distilled Light

Split light apart and put it back together again.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Duck Into a Kaleidoscope
Duck Into a Kaleidoscope

Step inside—and reflect.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Everyone Is You and Me
Everyone Is You and Me

By adjusting the light levels on either side of this half-silvered glass, you and a friend can merge your faces into a single composite face.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Image Relay
Image Relay

Lenses transmit an image of your face across space.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Look Into Infinity
Look Into Infinity

Reflections bounce back and forth into infinity.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

Magic Wand
Magic Wand

Wave the wand quickly and see an image appear.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Mirrorly a Window
Mirrorly a Window

Confusing sensory information can be profoundly disturbing.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Sophisticated Shadows
Sophisticated Shadows

If you think shadows are a straightforward business, prepare for a surprise—actually, a whole bunch of surprises. Combining various light sources in various ways, you’ll quickly discover that there’s nothing simple about a simple shadow. 

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

Sun Painting
Sun Painting

Created by artist Bob Miller, this classic Exploratorium exhibit is a “live” painting that uses light from the Sun as its palette.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections

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