CONCEPT:
"Shadow Dance" is a unique one-of-a-kind exhibit.
What's unique about this exhibit? It is a truly multi-user environment, which means that several visitors (a family, groups, or an individual) can simultaneously and cooperatively control the rate of information, the amount of information, the rich texture of sounds and layers of imagery and video to learn about and explore eclipses together. "It's a whole new direction for museum exhibits!" Rob Terry

There are three floor sensors that control images, animations, interviews and video on a double arc of 12 high-resolution Flat Panel Display Screens. Backlit images of the Earth, Moon, and Sun on floor sensors enable visitors to move on-screen images of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. For instance, a visitor steps on the "moon floor sensor", looks at the screens and notices that s/he is moving an on-screen image of the Moon which orbits around the Earth. In this way, visitors interactively align the Earth, Moon and Sun to create an eclipse of the Sun or the Moon. Once an eclipse is created, the exhibit enters one of its 22 eclipse modes where visitors may actively access additional levels of eclipse information in several varied categories by changing images, animations, sounds and video.

This exhibit uses custom software designed and developed by Viper Vertex. It currently runs on SGI workstations and high-resolution Flat Panel Displays, but can be designed to accomodate varred systems. This multi-channel exhibit can also display real-time eclipse video feeds while at the same time allowing visitors to explore interactive eclipse related information.

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