PacSci Blog
Recent Stories
COVID-19 Numbers: ‘Put It In Perspective’
One local health expert cautions against watching the COVID-19 numbers too closely. She says practicing good health habits is more important.
PacSci-Doku: “Ancient Chewing Gum”
Our latest science word puzzle really gives us something to chew on. Can you solve the “Ancient Chewing Gum” edition of PacSci-Doku?
Fresh Sheet – March 7, 2020
If you’re a fan of giant butterflies that resemble owl eyes, then this week’s shipment of pupae from Suriname is just what you need.
The Science and Art of Scents
Read about the experiences of a Discovery Corps member completing an internship with Molly Ray Fragrances, learning about the science behind scents, and helping to develop a Girls Night Out program.
Drip, Drip, Drip
Inside Pacific Science Center’s Building 4, aka The Fourth Dimension, you’ll find a variety of constantly evolving and rotating augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. These include experiments, brain teasers, optical illusions, an artist space, a tiny rock with a big story, and much more. And now there’s something new.
“It’s a series of three kinetic sound sculptures that also have light and falling water and it’s called Drip, Drip, Drip,” explained the sculpture’s creator Robb Kunz, one of our exhibit technicians who’s also an artist specializing in creations that involve sound.
“You see a drop of water fall,” he says. “It hits a dish filled up with water above your head and it shines light through down below which has rippling projections on the floor.”
The visual component is accompanied with a series of sounds. These sounds can be anything from crashing glass or a sigh or a bicycle bell – just random things that are not water, although sometimes there are sounds of water drops.
This artist has watched our guests interact with his creation and says kids perceive it differently than adults. Kids tend to interact with it more like a video game…Frogger or Dance, Dance Revolution for example. They’ll try to step on the rippling projections on the floor. Whereas adults, on the other hand, are more thoughtful.
“They’re just trying to figure out what the heck is this and what’s going on. And I like that. I like it when people are trying to understand a phenomenon.”
Drip, Drip, Drip is in an experimental space where what’s on display is constantly changing. We test out different ways of perceiving what is reality. Is this creation of Robb’s just a fun thing or is it something that gives pause and makes you think? That’s for you to decide.
We invite you to come check it out along with everything else in the space and then let us know what you think. You are a very important part of it all because curiosity ignites at PacSci. New discoveries for all ages, every day.
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