Telus Spark Science Centre
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The 153,000-square-foot Telus Spark is home to four core exhibit galleries (Energy & Innovation, Earth & Sky, Open Studio and Being Human), in addition to the Creative Kids Museum, a Feature Gallery, a Learning Centre, a 164-seat Presentation Theatre, a 10,000-square-foot Atrium, and Calgary's only HD Digital Dome Theatre.
One by One was involved in this project from the early conceptual development of exhibits through to final installation as art director of all four core exhibit halls, as well as providing art direction for a suite of 38 computer interactives. Working in a highly collaborative environment with the Spark staff and 3D exhibit designers from such an early stage provided the opportunity to have input on the exhibit design and other physical surroundings which enables a deeply rich and integrated graphic experience.
With Design + Environment
Being Human Gallery
The Being Human gallery is a place of intimacy and socialization that stokes those familiar feelings of 'home'. The warm birch wood tables and substrates, whitewashed slat walls, and a muted colour palette provide a space to recharge and remember who we are—or to seek adventure and find out who we could become!
Open Studio
Whereas other areas of the New Science Centre encourage reflection, Open Studio is all about doing stuff, and doing it with enthusiasm. Wheatpaste poster walls and neon spray paint highlight the DIY aesthetic where visitors can roll up their sleeves and apply their heads and hands to new ideas (or apply new thoughts to old ideas) through active, creative engagement.
Earth & Sky Gallery
The exhibit experiences in the Earth & Sky gallery are artful and poetic, avoiding a didactic approach by inspiring the visitor to engage with their environment rather than teaching them about it. The 'graphic groves', rugged furniture and natural colour palettes take their cues from the natural world in (and above) Southern Alberta.
Energy & Innovation Gallery
In the Energy & Innovation gallery, homage is paid to great ideas and minds of the past in a slightly retro aesthetic. Collage and layering emphasizes the connection between different forms of energy and provokes critical thought. Rather than projecting a future that could be, reflecting on a past that was encourages the visitor to think about what tomorrow might look like.
