FOREIGN: Giant ‘icebergs’ take over Washington, DC museum

On a hot summer's day in Washington, DC, hundreds of tourists and residents retreated indoors to the National Building Museum for a cool experience.

July 2 was the opening day of the

museum's "Icebergs" exhibition—an interactive and playful space which represents the look and feel of a glacial sea.

"One of the things we're trying to do here is to create a situation where you are made to feel like you are under the water if you will. More than two thirds, three quarters of an actual iceberg is under the water," said designer James Corner, CEO of James Corner Field Operations based in New York City.

 

"So we do have spaces above, on the balconies around and we do have a couple of raised over looks where you can see the surface of the water which is this blue mesh net," Corner said.

On the ground level, guests are invited to lounge on iceberg-shaped bean bag chairs.

During the exhibit's opening day, many could be seen eating Japanese kakigori - shaved ice provided by a local restaurant.

But it was the visual properties of the exhibition that many said they found intriguing. "It kind of reminds me of stalactites as if you were in a cave and these icebergs coming down at you," said DC resident Ana-Maria Sinitean.

The designer said the iceberg structures are made from a polycarbonate material which gives them a translucent quality. The structures catch the light differently depending on the time of day.

The museum says the assembly and folding of the triangular panels allows for variation in scale and shape of each object.

"Given that this is a building museum, there is a lot of narrative and educational value here in terms of geometry, construction, building and materials," said Corner.

Guest Joe Elliott knows icebergs. He was a doctor on an icebreaker during the geophysical year that went to the North and South pole. Elliott couldn't help but compare the iceberg-like structures to the real things; "Well it's a very stylized picture of icebergs. The icebergs I saw in the Arctic and the Antarctic were much more random."

 

 Entertainment as well as education come together in this exhibition, the designer said.

"We have a series of facts inscribed on a number of these icebergs that speak to the sheer volume and quantity of rate and speed of ice melt on the planet. What that means in terms of sea level rise. The challenges of coastal environments and many urban environments including New York City for example and Washington, DC too," said Corner.

He said part of the message was the contrast between cool and hot climates inside vs outside of the museum.

GMA NEWS

On a hot summer's day in Washington, DC, hundreds of tourists and residents retreated indoors to the National Building Museum for a cool experience.
July 2 was the opening day of the museum's "Icebergs" exhibition—an interactive and playful space which represents the look and feel of a glacial sea.
"One of the things we're trying to do here is to create a situation where you are made to feel like you are under the water if you will. More than two thirds, three quarters of an actual iceberg is under the water," said designer James Corner, CEO of James Corner Field Operations based in New York City.
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/572233/lifestyle/artandculture/giant-icebergs-take-over-washington-dc-museum#sthash.ydWchcxh.dpuf

On a hot summer's day in Washington, DC, hundreds of tourists and residents retreated indoors to the National Building Museum for a cool experience.
July 2 was the opening day of the museum's "Icebergs" exhibition—an interactive and playful space which represents the look and feel of a glacial sea.
"One of the things we're trying to do here is to create a situation where you are made to feel like you are under the water if you will. More than two thirds, three quarters of an actual iceberg is under the water," said designer James Corner, CEO of James Corner Field Operations based in New York City.
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/572233/lifestyle/artandculture/giant-icebergs-take-over-washington-dc-museum#sthash.ydWchcxh.dpuf

On a hot summer's day in Washington, DC, hundreds of tourists and residents retreated indoors to the National Building Museum for a cool experience.
July 2 was the opening day of the museum's "Icebergs" exhibition—an interactive and playful space which represents the look and feel of a glacial sea.
"One of the things we're trying to do here is to create a situation where you are made to feel like you are under the water if you will. More than two thirds, three quarters of an actual iceberg is under the water," said designer James Corner, CEO of James Corner Field Operations based in New York City.
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/572233/lifestyle/artandculture/giant-icebergs-take-over-washington-dc-museum#sthash.ydWchcxh.dpuf