Image of This World Made It Self (2013) by Miwa Matreyek
Daytime/Outdoor Events
9:00-10:00am - Opening dedication at Pier 15 (invitation only; visible from some public areas)
9:00–9:45am - The Exploratorium will dedicate its new home with a ceremony viewable from some parts of the Plaza. Speakers include Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Ed Lee, Exploratorium Board Chair George Cogan, and Executive Director Dennis Bartels
9:45–10:00am - New Exploratorium Bell
Since the museum's founding in 1969, Exploratorium Explainers have traditionally closed the museum by ringing a bell. The assembled speakers will piece together the intricate crown of a bronze bell created by artist Nick DiPhillipo and cast at The Crucible, a hands-on industrial arts organization in Oakland. Each piece represents individuals and organizations that have helped the museum on its journey to Pier 15. An Explainer will then ring the completed bell, which will be permanently installed to mark daily opening/closing in the Exploratorium’s Outdoor Gallery.
The dedication concludes with the activation of Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Bridge installation across the 150-foot-long pedestrian bridge.
10:00am - Exploratorium's New Home Opens to the Public
Six new galleries and more than 150 new exhibits created by artists, scientists and educators at the Exploratorium. Advance purchase, timed entry tickets are strongly recommended Opening Day through Summer 2013. Online ticket sales begin April 3, 2013. Go to www.exploratorium.edu/visit/tickets
Free Opening Day Public Events
10:00am until dark - Rangoli with artist Purvi Shah and volunteers from the India Community Center in Milpitas, CA
For thousands of years, Indian women have created elaborate geometric designs to mark auspicious occasions, celebrations and milestones. Made from a variety of natural materials - flowers, spices, sand, and natural pigment - this traditional welcoming design will be completed over several hours outdoors and remain on view throughout the day. (South side of Pier 15.)
10:00am until dark - Outdoor Demonstrations and Activites with Exploratorium Explainers In addition to hands-on activities for visitors waiting in line, Explainers will provide free interactive demonstrations such as Observing Clouds and Finding North.
11:00am-2:00pm - Outdoor Hands-on Activities with Explorables Volunteers
Visitors can meet with Explorables volunteers to make free Quacking Cups and Glove-A-Phones on the Embarcadero Plaza or Light Boxes and Spectroscopes inside the ticketed area of the Outdoor Gallery.
5:00-7:00pm - Hands-on Activities with Explorables Volunteers
Repeats
7:00pm - KPOO Live Broadcast with Donald Lacy
Share your favorite Exploratorium story with KPOO-89.5FM listeners.
8:30pm and 9:30pm* - This World Made It Self (2013)
A performance by artist Miwa Matreyek
A large-scale multimedia performance by animator, designer and artist Miwa Matreyek.
As the artist moves behind the screen, her shadow becomes the protagonist in a fantastical world of her own creation. The work tells the story of the beginnings of the earth to it's current complex world. Matreyek will be performing an excerpt of the ongoing project slated to be completed in the fall of 2013. (Outdoor Gallery - ticketed area; visible from some public areas.)
8:30-11:00pm* - Emergence (2013)
Art, Design, Nature, and Technology at Scale by Obscura Digital
At the close of the Exploratorium's Opening Day, acclaimed creative technology innovators Obscura Digital will transform the façade of historic Pier 15 into a luminous portal revealing complex micro and macro phenomena. Emergence uses architectural projections of real-life visualizations involving fluid dynamics, microorganisms, particle interactions, living systems,
crystallization, and plant growth accompanied by original sound compositions to evoke a sense of wonder and awe about the nature of order in our universe.
To accompany Emergence, Obscura will present an interactive thermal imaging wall (in cooperation with Flir) on the side of the Exploratorium’s main entrance, where visitors can see their heat signature projected in real-time, at large scale, with brilliant color.
Obscura Digital, a San Francisco based creative technology studio, orchestrates entertaining, informative, and educational experiences with interactive installations, large-format architectural projections, and immersive environments that generate a sense of awe, wonder, and inspiration for live audiences. www.obscuradigital.com
To view a video about the making of Emergence, and to learn more about the project click here.
Download Obscura Digital's Emergence Fact Sheet (pdf)
* Evening programs will take place on both Wednesday and Thursday nights, April 17 and 18. All are scheduled to being at 8:30 p.m., though times are subject to change based on light conditions. Program subject to change without notice.
Go back to the Exploratorium @ Pier 15 press kit table of contents
