(right) Digital lighting and A/V specialist Thomas Shields testing an early prototype of the touch-free interactive game Orca or Not?. (middle) Members of the Exhibitions team see how their choices affect orcas and the surrounding oceans on the Ocean Health Game. (far right) Thomas Shields tests his knowledge of orca vocalization in the Orca or Not? interactive.
ORCA EXPE R IE NCE S, Immersive and Interactive Elements in Orcas: Our Shared Future
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he anticipation is building at the Royal BC Museum as the finishing touches are put on our upcoming feature exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future. Part of what makes this exhibition so exciting and unique is the addition of sophisticated interactive stations that strive to translate orca experiences into human sensations. Among the stations is Acoustic Turbulence, by Victoria artist Colton Hash, an interactive artwork that visualizes underwater noise pollution generated by large ocean vessels. An artistic representation depicts the primary sources of noise pollution: engines, sonar and propellers. Their sounds impact the ability of marine organisms to communicate and navigate. Noise pollution is particularly significant to the Southern Resident orcas, as it reduces their ability to hunt through echolocation. Viewers can choose scenes of ships and experience sounds generated by each type.
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Visitors are invited to answer questions and consider where they stand when it comes to the future of orcas and the potential implications of their personal choices on the resident orca population at the Orca Ethics computer kiosk. The Biology 101 Touch Table allows guests to use a stylus, developed with COVID protocols in mind, to explore a large, multi-touch screen and learn more about orcas’ musculoskeletal, reproduction, echolocation and respiration systems. Other stations include Orca or Not?, where visitors listen to a series of sounds and guess if they were made by an orca or something else. In the Ocean Health Game, players move different pieces around a coastal environment and witness the impacts of their choices on the health of the ocean. And of course there’s a selfie station where guests can take a photo and spread the word about ocean health, orca protection and the exhibition.
