Bad exhibition design almost takes the fun out of Star Wars
These are some iPhone pictures that I took today at the new Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit at the Anchorage Museum. Over 80 original models, costumes and props from the Star Wars movies are on display this month. The exhibit was created by Lucasfilm, Ltd., in partnership with the Boston Museum of Science back in 2005 and has been touring since. The idea is to use the Star Wars movies to inspire kids to study science, something that probably sounds great at a museum board meeting, but is considerably harder to pull off in real life. For the most part, the exhibit pairs props with whatever modern hardware they most resemble, and then tries to make some kind of commentary.
Next to Luke's artificial hand from The Empire Strikes Back, there's a real prosthetic hand and an insulin pump to show how "real-life medical breakthroughs" are bringing our lives closer to the world shown in the movies. Along with the landspeeder from A New Hope, there's a machine that you can sit on that's supposed to feel like a hovercraft. You get the idea.
It's a big show, taking up almost three floors. In fact, it's the biggest visiting exhibit ever at the Anchorage Museum. It's a terrific collection of props and costumes, but the the science lessons just don't work. For the most part, they're a waste of floor space.
The whole “science fiction meets science fact” theme is a cliche that wore out decades ago. Kids today aren't impressed by technology. They didn't grow up reading Isaac Asimov in dog-eared Popular Science magazines. They grew up watching Conan O'Brien and "The Year 2000" comedy sketches on their iPods. They're more likely to laugh at this stuff than be inspired by it.
A hovercraft as a vision of the future? Yeah, right. Along with silver jumpsuits and a flashlight under the chin.
One exhibit features an electronic vacuum cleaner (are you kidding me?) and one of those Robosapien toys, to show how robots are evolving or something. You could see those on the shelf at Wal-Mart for free, but someone thought it would be a good idea to charge you $22 and call it a science lesson.
Another exhibit asks you to create a water distribution system to balance Jawas' sociopolitical structures against their health and hygiene needs. Besides being just plain weird, it's about as much fun as getting bonked on the head with a gaffi stick.
The futuristic science theme is out of place to begin with. There's nothing scientific about the Star Wars films. That's half the fun of setting the story in a galaxy far, far away. You don't have to worry about whether it makes sense for the bad guy to shoot lightning bolts out of his fingertips or for the good guy to hear dead people. Spaceship won't start? Give it a good kick in the ribs. If it's part of the story, it makes sense and it's okay.
They should just show the pieces for what they are--great designs of historic American filmmaking.
It's okay to admire the art of filmmaking
The science lessons are so random and flimsy, they almost seem like an afterthought, there to legitimize the fact that much of the state’s most prominent museum is being taken over by stuff from a popular movie, which a lot of people might not find very artsy.
The costumes and props (including Princess Leia’s original white outfit from A New Hope and the articulated model of the Tauntaun from Empire Strikes Back) are far more interesting when the exhibits just explain what they are and how they were made.
Filmmaking is an art, costume design is an art, production design is an art. It is what it is. You don’t need an excuse to show this stuff. I’d rather see the design showcased in simple terms, without distractions.
Like Luke’s original landspeeder, which is on display near the entrance to the exhibit. A video explains how it was made and sound designer Ben Burtt’s inspiration for the noise it makes. A special effects technician explains how they made it appear to float in the air by lining the bottom with mirrors at a 45 degree angle.
Or the poster that shows how a designer was inspired by the shape of a street lamp outside his studio when he made Boba Fett's Slave One ship, which, now that you mention it, there does seem to be a resemblance.
The exhibit would make more sense organized into production design, costume design, sound design and visual effects. Believe it or not, a lot of kids are inspired by the art of filmmaking itself. Just go with it. Show us your craft.
When you have a chance to show off the creative artifacts of a generation, there's no need to lecture us about things that “might someday make the world of Star Wars a reality.”
We're fine with it being pretend. That’s the whole point.
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
My advice would be to start over. If you really want to teach kids and challenge their creativity, do an exhibit on storytelling and filmmaking. Put together a collection of props, illustrations and gear accordingly. In each city, have a filmmaking contest or a creative writing contest. Invite school children to paint their own storyboards and hang them on some of that unused wall space. Send a few winners to Skywalker Ranch.
In other words, show them how a master does it and then give them a chance to use what they learn to participate in something exciting and worthwhile. If the Yoda puppet on the third floor could talk, it would probably give you the same advice.
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. Anchorage Museum, February 10 - April 25, 2010. Tickets $8 children, $22 adults, $18 seniors, students and military.
