Electrosonic has provided AV support on the new ‘Scotland’s Time Lords’ exhibit at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, 15 years after delivering a complete AV system for the attraction.
Electrosonic was responsible for the design and systems integration of the AV elements, under subcontract to Studio MB, engineering the new exhibition with reliable components within a simple system architecture.
“Scotland’s Time Lords” introduces visitors to the Scottish scientists who laid the foundation for the modern paradigm of plate tectonics. Three new interlinked galleries take visitors from an 18th century themed classroom with magic blackboards and talking portraits back through Deep Time to the Big Bang and beyond.
Eminent geologist and ‘first Time Lord’ James Hutton demonstrates his theories on how the Earth was formed while large blackboards with animated imagery and text stand on either side. Hutton appears to be in the room through an application of the Pepper’s Ghost technique; his image is actually presented on a horizontally mounted 63in Samsung LCD screen. Optoma projectors provide blackboard-style screens illustrating the talk. Portraits of later geologists, all with Scottish ties, are actually 55in Samsung LCDs, which come to life to comment on the importance of Hutton’s insights.
The second section looks at the contributions of Arthur Holmes, a professor of geology at Edinburgh University in 1942, whose studies led to the concept of plate tectonics. The globe is a Puffersphere, which uses a ceiling-mounted projection design F32 video projector with a custom lens to project onto the internal surface of the sphere; a computer plays out source images and provides the geometric corrections required to deliver distortion-free images on the globe’s surface.
The Deep Time Machine comprises the third and final portion of the new exhibits. Styled as a large elevator operated by an AMX controller, the gallery transports visitors back in time to the Big Bang, showcasing giant images on 55in Samsung LCDs. In a collaboration between Our Dynamic Earth and ISO, new footage offers visitors the chance to witness the development of the universe and the early days of Earth.
Audio equipment for the “Scotland’s Time Lords” exhibit includes Tannoy loudspeakers, Cloud and RSF amps and AMX Precis signal processing.
