Posted on: Sunday, November 13, 2005
AFTER DEADLINE
New Bishop Museum exhibit challenged our artists
By Anne Harpham
On Saturday, the Bishop Museum will open its new $17 million high-tech, interactive Science Adventure Center, which with its erupting volcano, wave-making machine and more, promises hours of fun and learning for youngsters and adults alike.
You can read about the 16,500-square-foot center and its exploration of Hawai'i flora and fauna, geology, seismology, oceanography and astronomy — as well as see it through photographs — in today's Island Life section. We've even put a photo on Page One.
In addition, on pages D6 and D7 in today's Island Life section, our graphics department has delved into some high-tech wizardry of its own to give readers a virtual tour on newsprint of the new center and all the adventures within.
The graphic project combines high-end computer work with a lot of leg work and on-site visits to the science center.
"This kind of graphic allows readers to see the entire exhibit at once, from perspectives not possible through photographs," said Advertiser assistant managing editor Stephen Downes. "For instance, we can take out the floor, showing the top and bottom of the volcano at the same time. It helps readers to understand the logic and goals of the exhibit as a whole."
Our graphics department had long planned to do some kind of visual rendition of the science center in conjunction with a story on the new center.
But what you see on pages D6 and D7 today started after graphic artist Martha Hernandez went on a tour of the center a few weeks ago and came back enthused about the new center and the possibilities for a graphic.
She sold graphics editor John Valles and the rest of the graphics department on the idea of a comprehensive two-page graphic.
Valles contacted officials at Gyroscope Inc. in California, which did the design and prototyping for the Bishop Museum's exhibit. They provided us with 3-D models that became a starting point for our final product.
Because what we needed for our graphic was different than the original purpose of the models, our graphics department had to fill in many more details than the models provided.
Hernandez, Valles and Advertiser graphic artist Greg Taylor went back to Bishop Museum to take photographs to use as a reference and to get details that were not clear on the images they were sent. Our own photos also helped us to be sure we got the color correct in the graphic. Hernandez also interviewed those involved with the exhibit for more information.
Valles, Hernandez and Taylor have all been deeply involved in building the graphic over the past few weeks, while graphic artist Jon Orque picked up all of regular daily work of the department to free the other three to devote much of their time to this project.
The dominant feature of our graphic is a rendering of the centerpiece of the new building — a 25-foot tall volcano modeled to look like Pu'u O'o, Kilauea's active vent. But the graphic incorporates elements of most of the rest of the exhibit.
The three-dimensional aspect of the graphic was built using a computer program called Lightwave 3D. The artists built the design and used the software to turn it into a three-dimensional display. Planning and time management were critical because the complexities of the graphic meant it took hours for the computer to render the final product.
Hernandez hopes the end result gives readers not only a sneak preview of the exhibit but helps them plan how best to see it.
Even though she already knows the details inside out, Hernandez said, she definitely plans to visit again when the exhibit is officially open.
Senior editor Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative. Reach her at aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8033.
