The Franklin Institute
Philadelphia, PA
The Franklin Institute’s giant model walk-through heart has been an icon in Philadelphia since opening in 1954, and recently underwent major renovations, upgrades and enhancements. Media produced by Chedd-Angier-Lewis accompanies the heart in a new exhibit hall dedicated to health and bioscience.
Exercise Opera prompts visitors to control one of four animated opera singers by pedaling a stationary bicycle. Each character represents an aspect of heart health and – when active – will recite a popular aria with lyrics humorously re-written to emphasize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Within the Giant Heart itself, a projected 3-D animation of enormous blood cells adds a dynamic element of movement and sound to the visitor’s passage through the model.
The back glass of a pinball machine becomes a time portal for learning about medical treatments throughout the ages in That Was Then. Players choose an ailment and launch the ball to trigger one of over 30 original videos that humorously depict how a medical specialist in a given time period may have treated the affliction.
An original full-length song by cult favorites They Might Be Giants provides the soundtrack for Bloodmobile, an animated music video illustrating the complex variety of essential services that blood provides to a healthy body.
Talking Vending Machine provides visitors with an opportunity to learn about healthy eating habits by choosing from an assortment of simulated snacks positioned in an over-sized vending machine. Pressing a button triggers one of 13 original videos highlighting the often surprising nutritional value – or lack thereof – found in popular snack foods.