Chabot Space & Science Center
Reconsider your surroundings.
The Exploratorium worked in partnership with Chabot Space & Science Center to design and build the Chabot Observation Deck and its suite of exhibits. The 3,200 square foot outdoor space is filled with twelve interactive stations. Echo one invites visitors to observe, learn from, and interface with the stunning natural world that envelops the Deck. Exhibits encourage visitors to reconsider their surroundings with a new eye (or ear)—to contemplate the color of the sky, ponder sounds from their neighborhood, capture a sunbeam to play with, and examine heat with a thermal camera. The tools provided also allow visitors to extend beyond their five senses and into the microscopic and telescopic. The Deck instills a renewed appreciation for familiar aspects of nature as well as a bit of mystery as visitors alter their perceptions of the surrounding environment.
One of the project’s most unique features is Mutual Air, a collaborative installation designed by artist Rosten Woo and the Exploratorium. The experience relies on sensor-activated chimes placed across the Bay that sonify carbon fluctuations to represent the composition of our air. This multidimensional civic art and science exhibit exemplifies the project’s aim to link Bay Area residents together in environmental learning and awareness.
The Chabot Observation Deck opened in 2018.
