"Your unconventional creative perspective is a welcome addition to this project"
-Thomas Antonio Ph.D., Garfield Park ConservatoryExhibit Development: Sugar From The Sun
In 2005, I was asked to help with the development of a new $2.7 million photosynthesis exhibit at Chicago’s historical Garfield Park Conservatory. The exhibit directors ambitious plan was to create an exhibit that explained the basic concepts of photosynthesis with limited verbiage and with all graphic elements incorporated in as natural and intuitive manner as possible. Throughout the 6.5 year process, many new ideas were explored and many innovative devices incorporated in the completed exhibit. The incredibly harsh climate of a greenhouse tested the resilience of many of these special elements, requiring some revisions. I encourage anyone in Chicago to visit Sugar From the Sun and the rest of the amazing Garfield Park Conservatory.
Early concept: A more playful demonstration concept using laminar water fountains and fiber optic animations.
Early concept: where guests could move plant leaves with an air cannon.
Early concept: Harnessing the sun to project an image or focus attention.
Early concept: nearly invisible hanging fiber optic strands illuminate the word AIR.
Testing fiber optic animation in an artificial leaf.
Testing animated light projection for signage.
Testing static projected messages.
Testing sunlit silhouette messages.
The final signs were made from layered laminated glass to give the impression of looking into and through a leaf.
Initially the laminated glass signs were specified to be frameless and back-lit with an LED spot.
The revised glass is more protected by a frame, edge-lit with LED’s.
The glass signs were also mounted in cut rocks.
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