Liberty Science Center. If there is a place in New Jersey that fires the imagination more than this multi-dimensional, multi-leveled, multi-mind blowing house of knowledge and entertainment, I have yet to find it. The latest spectacle to take up residence at this Jersey City landmark is the Avatar Exhibition. Based on the film of the same name, this multimedia display will let you in on how director James Cameron created the film, with groundbreaking use of performance capture and virtual and 3-D technologies.3D has come a long way since the days of watching “The Blob” with those red and blue lens glasses. A techno buddy of mine recently invited me to his man cave to experience his ramped up entertainment system with WIDE screen 3D TV and surround sound. It was amazing. But it was a rinky dink set up when compared with what you will witness at Liberty Science Center. Here is a typical afternoon at the Avatar Exhibition with a virtual assortment pack of things you can do…
Step onto a virtual set to see your own performance-capture avatar explore a 3D Pandoran environment in real time.
Have the magical experience of personally entering the world of Pandora, interacting with Avatar’s gentle, floating, glowing wood sprites.
Using a touch-screen interface, play a scene from Avatar, then activate or de-activate layers of sound in the scene – from dialogue to ambient sound and from special effects to orchestral scores that evoke particular emotional moods.
Listen to and learn the Na’vi language.
Explore the vast collection of concept art developed for Avatar using the intuitive interface of a touch table.
Be a director! Manipulate the three-dimensional orientation of a Virtual Camera and make directorial decisions about how to shoot a computer-rendered scene.
Develop a new type of plant based on the scientific/biological principles and design process used in making the film.
Make phony crank phone calls to James Cameron pretending to be Leonardo Di Caprio.
So you see, a full experience. The Liberty Science Center is located right off the New Jersey Turnpike in Jersey City. Group and Scout rates, school outings and birthday parties are available. And honestly, once you’re there, you’ll most likely want to check out the other exhibits at your leisure. For information and ticket sales, visit their website.
