exploratorium

exhibits

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Exhibits from A–Z

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A Drop to Drink

Getting a drink of water would be very different if you were the size of a doll.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started

A Pendulum Clock

At first glance, the giant see-through-erector-set-like structure seems to be a realization of one of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical inventions.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

A Sip of Conflict

Would you, could you, will you drink from a water fountain fashioned from an actual—but unused—toilet? Porcelain is just porcelain . . . right? 

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started

A Way of Seeing as It Happens

A mirror and a lens mounted on top project a live image of the outside view into a darkened room.

Where:   Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes

Adapting to Color

Change your perception of color by flooding your eyes with colored light.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Aeolian Harp

An eerie orchestral chord floats on the breeze; it’s the shimmering sound of a 27-foot tall harp being strummed by the wind.

Where:   Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Aeolian Landscape

Aeolian Landscape presents a swirling storm of sand inside a large chamber covered by a plexiglass top. A knob on the top of the exhibit rotates a sturdy fan set in the base of the chamber.

Where:   Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6, Mezzanine

Albert

A mechanical object may seem alive if it responds to you.

Where:   This exhibit is not currently on view.

All Eyes on Me

Situate yourself at just the right place in space in front of this parabolic mirror array and you’ll see dozens of your own eyeballs peering back at you.

Where:   Crossroads: Getting Started

Ames Chairs

What we see can depend on what we expect to see.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Anamorphic Bench

A cylindrical mirror turns a curved bench into something that looks quite different, taking a Renaissance-era illusion into the third dimension. The installation encourages playful interactions among users, bringing people together both visually and socially as they explore the unexpected effects.

Where:   Plaza

Animation Station

A stop-motion animation is made of many pictures, each slightly different from the last.

Where:   Gallery 2: Tinkering

Animation Tower

Quick-changing views create the illusion of motion.

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

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:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Archimedes

Parabolic dishes collect and focus sound waves and reflect them to participants seated within them.

Where:   Plaza

Are Your Cells You?

Examine living HeLa cells—the first “immortal” cell line—and explore ethical and philosophical questions about these historic and controversial cells.

Where:   Gallery 4: Living Systems

As One

As One invites two participants to partner, and take turns in the roles of leader or follower as they mirror one another’s movements.

Where:   Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Aurora

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

Where:   Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Avalanche

Does the sand all pile up in the same way?

Where:   Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6, Mezzanine

Bacteriopolis

Thousands of distinct species live and breathe (or not) in this colorful bacterial terrarium. Look for green cyanobacteria, orange iron oxidizers, and gray cellulose eaters. What you see today will be gone tomorrow in this living artwork in a perpetual state of change.​

Where:   Gallery 4: Living Systems

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