New display is the centerpiece of Curiosity Hall

Photo credit: Ideum

ALLENTOWN, Pa.—Christie^® is pleased to share that its RGB pure laser projectors are part of Curiosity Hall, a new experience at Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Da Vinci Science Center. Ideum led the design and integration of the project, which features a show-stopping interactive projection surface that’s 58 feet wide by 53 feet high – or over 3,000 square feet - that is illuminated by Christie M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors and GS Series 1DLP laser projectors.   

Da Vinci Science Center recently reopened in a new, 67,000-square-foot state-of-the-art downtown location. It features more than 50 interactive exhibits and programs for learners of all ages. 

In 2021, the science center approached Ideum with a vision for Curiosity Hall, an immersive and participatory theater planned for its new downtown location. “The intent of the theater is to focus on inspiring the curiosity of da Vinci in the three major fields of his study: art, engineering, and the human body,” explains George Hardebeck, director of media systems, Ideum.

With the goal of sparking curiosity amongst its guests, Ideum worked with the science center and planning and design-build firm Roto to create a program that would resonate with visitors. “From there, we designed a technical platform and the infrastructure to support not only the projection screen but also the nine Ideum 43” Drafting II kiosks that allow the audience to create characters for the immersive worlds. We also designed the network infrastructure to support this technically complex system,” says Hardebeck. 

Ideum illuminated the massive canvas with three Christie 25,300 lumen M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors with UHD 4K resolution and five 11,850 lumen DWU1100-GS laser projectors with WUXGA resolution. "Guests can create 3D interactive content on Ideum’s kiosks, including Renaissance-inspired self-portraits and modern flying machines, or explore the kinetics of the human body. All areas of study throughout da Vinci's life. Once created, these are launched onto the 3,000 square-foot projection screen and take on a life of their own!" explains Hardebeck. With nine kiosks, the Hall can accommodate 216 users per hour. 

Creating a seamless image on the massive canvas was no small feat. Selecting and blending projectors with different resolutions required extensive testing. “To prepare as best as possible, we set up a smaller rig on scaffolding in our offices in New Mexico using small format consumer projectors with similar specs (though much less bright!) to test the pipeline thoroughly. We also built in plenty of time with the final projectors once rigged to work out any problems,” says Hardebeck. The installation took four months and included deployment, testing, and time to review media on the system. 

“Prototyping a 3,000 square foot projection isn’t always possible, so we got loaner projectors from Christie multiple times during the two years of production to do scale tests on the exterior surface of a local brewery!” says Hardebeck.

Ideum used the M 4K25 RGB projectors to cover three-quarters of the large surface and used the DWU1100-GS projectors to focus on a smaller section of the surface. This allowed Ideum to expand the projection surface from the original 48 feet to 58 feet and have a higher PPI [pixels per inch] at the floor.

“Curiosity Hall is a masterpiece of creativity, technology, and innovation,” says Patrick Ellis, senior territory sales manager, Christie. “Ideum has created yet another stunning interactive display, and we’re thrilled to have helped them in the journey to bring this exhibit to fruition.”

The result has been a hit with the science center and visitors alike. Many visitors remain engaged with the exhibit for the full thirty minutes it takes to cycle through the three programs: Self Portraits, Flying Machines, and Fit Kids.