America’s Founding
Overview
Trivium worked with the National Constitution Center (NCC) on a new permanent gallery, America's Founding. Through a series of immersive experiences, we told the story of how American colonists declared independence, fought a revolution, and gave rise to the system of self-governance present today.
Upon entry, a large-scale projected video wall uses custom animation to bring the visitor back in time and sets the stage for America's Founding. Inside the gallery, an interactive table invites guests to engage with the Constitution by imagining the clauses they would have included had they been a part of the drafting process. Visitors continue on to explore a large-scale interactive timeline of the Constitutional Convention and listen in on the debates that shaped the major articles of the Constitution. The experience concludes with a projected theater that highlights James Madison's pivotal role in the creation of the Bill of Rights.
In a new addition to NCC's signature Signers' Hall, which contains 42 life-sized bronze statues of the delegates present at the signing of the U.S Constitution, an interactive table enables visitors to dive into the delegates' lives and learn about their backgrounds before and role during and after the convention.
Photo credit: Jason E. Miczek for The National Constitution Center
Challenges
Creating an overall experience comprised of so many interactives presented us with a range of technical and design challenges. The Debate to Document interactive required integrating physical objects such as a stamp, inkwell, and magnifying glass while ensuring people could also access the experience even if they chose to use only the touchscreen. Meanwhile, the Signers' Hall Map Table needed a clear and engaging method for identifying historical figures within a complex 3D printed representation of the room. Four Months of Debate posed spatial and technical challenges related to accommodating multiple users at once, and synchronizing media across three screens. And lastly, the Gallery Introduction and Madison's Desk both required precise alignment between projected media and physical 3D objects on the projection surface.
Approach
We collaborated closely with NCC staff, including in-house content, graphic design, and AV teams, and exhibit design to integrate technologies with the physical environment. We prototyped each media piece extensively and user tested with different target audiences to ensure we were reaching our user experience goals for the media before installation. For our linear pieces, our projectionist worked closely with the NCC AV hardware team on site to ensure the linear media mapped seamlessly over the 3D elements embedded into the physical space.
Photo credit: Jason E. Miczek for The National Constitution Center
DELIVERABLES
- 5 Gallery Exhibits
- 3 Online Exhibits
Outcomes and Impacts
These exhibits attracted a strong visitor base and created meaningful opportunities to engage with the history of America's founding. These exhibits encourage visitors to reconsider familiar narratives and recognize the America—and the Constitution—that we know today was not inevitable.
BY THE NUMBERS
COLLABORATORS
- The National Constitution Center
- Luci
- Hadley Exhibits
- Two Left Hands
- Becker & Frondorf
- Elia Architecture & Interiors
- Flatiron Building Company
