Ideum collaborated with the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Gensler DXD to design and develop a signature exhibit for the new Jackie Robinson Museum, the first and only civil rights museum in New York City, to celebrate the legacy of one of the greatest baseball players in history.
The centerpiece of the “Game Day” exhibit is an interactive model of the historic Ebbets Field anno 1940s, providing a unique platform for learning about Jackie Robinson’s life and career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Brought onto the project with a lightning-fast three-month delivery timeline, Ideum built the model at the the Ideum Fabrication studio using a wide array of traditional and modern tools and techniques, including a rapidly assembled cardboard prototype used both to ideate installation elements and to bake accessibility into the exhibit from the very start. Ideum’s AV group worked alongside Fabrication to design and install all model and AV elements of the installation.
Built out in detail, this S scale model (1:64) comes to life with animated and controllable LED features. Using concealed projections from above, the model’s playing field becomes a canvas to help tell stories about Jackie Robinson, including memorable plays from landmark baseball games, while stats and action are tracked on the illuminated scoreboard in the style of the original. Visitors may select interactive story books from a custom control panel to experience historic stories and context about the game, its fans, the press, and Brooklyn. Period-inspired billboards adorn the outfield fence. Nearly 30,000 3D-printed fans cheer on the game in the stands. An immersive LED wall behind the model is synchronized to the interactive stories and projections showing historic film footage and animated content.
Ideum designed the Ebbets Field model, specified and installed the LED tile wall and projector, and created the custom 34” 5K digital reader rail touch displays that allow visitors to interact with the installation. Software designed by Gensler DXD controls the interactive aspects of the model, projection-mapped field surface, LED tile wall, and reader rail displays. Additional collaborators include project manager Zubatkin, and additional AV support by Electrosonic.
The exhibit’s unique combination of objects, animations, interactivity, and historic film & audio provides a unique multi-sensory experience to immerse visitors into a historic game day in Brooklyn.
“The ‘Game Day’ exhibit brings to life the spirit of baseball at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn back in the 1940s,” said Hans Neubert, Principal at Gensler. “Visitors can relive one of Robinson’s games through interactive content and video of both the game and events happening in the city and world. Game Day is part of the museum’s focus on putting Robinson’s life in a greater context, showing how world events shaped his activism, professional life, and sporting career.”
Partners
Jackie Robinson Museum
Gensler DXD
Zubatkin
Electrosonic