Loving the challenges and meeting them guest editorial
by Tricia Rodriguez, CEO and Director of Marketing, Mad Systems
A
t Mad Systems, we are grateful for our industry community and for the opportunities and challenges that community has brought us. And we do love a challenge.
The venerated Griffith Observatory reopened in 2006 after an extensive upgrade, and we were honored to be part of it. We produced a series of object theaters using a combination of techniques - including Pepper’s Ghost - that illustrated some key astronomy figures and events. We collaborated closely with the media team to produce the orreries in the museum and to synchronize the mechanical action with the video. Our work brought a new level of precision and accuracy to our electro-mechanical interactive development.
Looking back on the development of our company and its achievements, we credit our relationships - clients trusting us to take on big challenges. And we credit our team - the right people with the right attitude, empowering us to succeed and excel. We’re called upon to meet very high expectations, and we always do.
We contributed to three landmark projects with the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago between 2006 and 2011: U-505 Submarine Exhibit, YOU! The Experience and Science Storms. All three received Thea Awards. Science Storms was a real trendsetter. We are very proud of the acoustic and audio solutions we provided in that tricky atrium space and of our role in creating this early example of simplified access and control by using notebooks and phones, with no need for a custom device. We worked with Evidence Design on this project. Outside of specific projects, Mad Systems has helped establish some best practices such as creating user friendly system interfaces and remote support services, empowering venues to run and maintain sophisticated systems even with limited staff.
An early milestone was The Augusta Canal Discovery Center at Enterprise Mill in Augusta, Georgia, that opened in 2003. Designer Chris Chadbourne of Christopher Chadbourne & Assoc. brought us onto the team. The project gave us a chance to show our ability to create custom interactives - and set the pace for Mad Systems to be different from other AV companies. Another amazing early project was Landry’s Downtown Aquarium in Houston, Texas. We were brought on by Cuningham Group to create an immersive sound environment. This allowed us to really dive into the audio side of things and develop a unique approach to creating randomized audio that doesn’t become monotonous.
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Mad Systems built the exhibits to the left in this image for the Griffith Observatory, some of which utilize a Pepper’s Ghost effect to illustrate key astronomy related facts. All photos courtesy of Mad Systems
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