ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

We have an octave between the reception area and our ground floor
gallery that can only be bipassed via the elevator.  It's maybe an
eight foot wide stair, but I'd say the elevator is more of a hang-up
when the Museum is busy.  That's not to say it doesn't get crowded.
Very small children love to explore on it--I've witnessed so many
moments of pure wonder on those stairs--but it can be a bit hazardous.

Semiotically and aesthetically, it makes an awesome gateway into the
Museum.  (Ascending the octave IN and Descending OUT.)

& yes, the sound can be annoying, like most sound exhibits.  I've gone
halfway through my day with the major scale stuck in my head, playing
over and over!

That having been said, I cannot imagine the lush cacophony that
accompanies a trip on the stairwell at the Science Museum of Minnesota
ever being less than joy.

jasonJayStevens
exhibitDevelopment
annArborHands-OnMuseum
[log in to unmask]

interactiveArt
potterBelmarLabs
[log in to unmask]


On 26 May 2004, at 3:42 PM, Kay Ziff wrote:
> I wonder how different the experience will be in a college science
> building as compared to a science center. Is the staircase going to
> be a main pathway for people to get to class? What sound would you
> get when classes change and a horde of students descends? Will it
> make people hesitate to spend time in the atrium for other purposes?
>
> While I would love to play on a musical staircase as an experience in
> itself, I don't know how happy I'd be to hear it on my way to take an
> exam after a semester of walking on it (or past it) every day. But I
> love the idea of incorporating a science interactive into a college
> science building--especially a playful one--so I wish you luck.

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]