Canadian Museum of Indian Civilization – Cosmic Theatre

For the new exhibition "The Cosmic Theatre Experience" at the Canadian Museum of Indian Civilization in Toronto, Canada, we created the 45-minute fulldome documentary "Cosmic Dance" which is presented at the dome theatre of the museum.

The exhibit designer Bert Knorr describes the project:

"… it was clear from the beginning that we needed some cutting edge, high tech equipment to get everybody’s attention, and some effective low tech exhibit techniques to make the content really resonate with the visitor. Given our goals and the nature of the material that we were working with, a dome felt like the most natural means of presenting our ideas about the universe. A dome was appealing because it is able to encompass the viewer, creating an experience that is fundamentally different from a standard two-dimensional screen …

The dome is currently the museum’s leading technology. It is a 24’ Spitz NanoSeam dome with custom seating and a top quality projection and sound system. The dome seats 18 adults, and if we put gym mats on the floor, can accommodate an additional 15 children …

The Cosmic Theatre Experience has turned out to be a powerful exhibition and a great success; I believe that the use of the dome has played a major part in this. The great thing is that Full Dome is even more immersive than IMAX and a lot more affordable; this makes Full Dome possible for one specific project, small museums, and when using an inflatable dome even travelling exhibits. We tested the response to the Cosmic Theatre with groups of visitors including students, teachers and museum specialists and we received an enthusiastic response from a wide range of people from all age groups. Even small children were able to engage with the film’s most sophisticated content …

… In closing, my experience with the Cosmic Theatre Experience leaves me confident that when we choose Full Dome for the Cosmic Theater we made the right decision. The research, the design and the production of the exhibition and the film made for some inspiring work and a great learning experience. It is rewarding to see, that at its completion, the exhibition not only meets but actually exceeds my expectations."