The Welcome Wall (OMSI)
Blasting light and color through a wall!
The challenge here was to design an iconic and adaptive component in the lobby of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). It needed to be able to adapt to needs on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis and have a sense of awe and wonder. Inspired by the infamous Canvas Wall on the Microsoft campus, this project is essentially a massive integrated LED display that blasts through a monolithic architectural façade that allows content to be infinitely possible. With a variety of unique design constraints, I began working with technical collaborator, Thomas Hudson, to test various approaches.
We tested many different wood veneers, printed acrylic graphics and arrays of LED modules until we landed on a specific combination of high-res woodgrain, a layer of museum grade acrylic print and a dazzling custom array of over 90,000 addressable LEDS across the wall surface, arranged in a 408×220 resolution display. There are substrates that hold the layers of acrylic off of the wall that the light travels around and visitors continually look for where the "projection is coming from" in the lobby ceiling, not realizing that the content is streaming THROUGH the wall! Behold, the Welcome Wall!
“...a layer of museum grade acrylic print and a dazzling custom array of over 90,000 addressable LEDS across the wall surface, arranged in a 408×220 resolution display. ”
A sneak peek behind the curtain, while installation was happening. You can see the array of bespoke LED panels that Thomas Hudson and his team assembled, as well as the first layers of milk plex and hi-res wood grain are being installed over the top.
For the Women in Science even at OMSI, we displayed rotating animations and artwork that supported the event and celebrate women in science.
Behold The Welcome Wall
The challenge here was to design an iconic and adaptive component in the lobby of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). It needed to be able to adapt to needs on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis and have a sense of awe and wonder.