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Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Uncover the history, geography, and ecology of the Bay Area.
Natural and human forces interact to create the dynamic landscape surrounding us. Learn to uncover the stories embedded in a place by directly observing the geography, history, and ecology of the San Francisco Bay region.
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: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Bay Lexicon
Bay Lexicon is a visual dictionary made up of illustrated flash cards, exploring the landscape visible from the Bay Observatory’s windows as well as places and phenomena along the shoreline between Fort Point and Hunters Point.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Bay Sediment Cores
Sediment cores offer clues to the many histories of the Bay.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Digital Footprints
Daily cycles of the city are projected onto a miniature topographic map of San Francisco: the movement of city buses and trains, local-area photos posted to Flickr and geographically located posts sent out via Twitter.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Library of Earth Anatomy
Library of Earth Anatomy, a collection of remarkable geological artifacts that invite and inspire us to see rocks in new ways. The Library employs unconventional classification methods to dissolve the usual boundaries between nature and culture, as well as between animal, vegetable, and mineral.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Native Oyster Colony
Get a closer look at live, Olympia oysters, native to San Francisco.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Observatory Library
The Observatory Library is the Bay Observatory’s research center, providing context and historical insight to the local landscape just beyond the windows.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Oculus Table
Oculus Table introduces a contemporary twist on a common ancient Greek sundial, the scaphe (σκάφη or "bowl"). With sunlight streaming through the oculus—the hole in the ceiling of the Fisher Bay Observatory—the movable table can be visually aligned with landmarks on the skyline (Coit Tower, Transamerica Pyramid, etc.) to discover the Sun's position in the sky and the current time and date.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Sky Theater
Sky Theater is a rear-projected enclosure designed to reveal and celebrate unseen patterns of the daytime sky.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Solar Hour Benches
The Solar Hour Benches are a set of six oval benches, each with a slit aperture aligned with the sun for one particular hour: 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., noon, 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. solar time. Throughout the year, for only twenty minutes before and after the corresponding hour, sunlight travels through the aperture and projects onto inscriptions on the ground. Scientific and cultural aspects of time and sundials are also depicted on each bench.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
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