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Home > Press > Press Releases > Museum of Science and Nearlife form strategic partnership
Nearlife and Museum of Science, Boston Form Strategic Partnership
Plan to Introduce New Web Version of Highly-Popular Virtual FishTank™
Cambridge, MA - April 20, 2000 - Nearlife Inc., a leader in utilizing proprietary technologies to develop new forms of Living Entertainment™ that immerse audiences in "near life" experiences, announced today it has formed a strategic partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston. The partnership is designed to expand and enhance the impact of the Museum's popular Virtual FishTank exhibit through a new Web version and a line of Virtual FishTank exhibits tailored for smaller museums, attractions and related sites. In addition, the partnership plans to develop new virtual experiences and exhibits for visitors to the Museum of Science and similar locations.
The Virtual FishTank immerses visitors in a 1,700-square-foot undersea world where they can interact with simulated cartoon-like fish, and design their own. A creation of Nearlife, the MIT Media Lab and The Computer Museum, the original FishTank opened at The Computer Museum, Boston, in 1998 and moved with the Computer Museum's exhibits and programs to the Museum of Science in 1999. The FishTank engages over one million visitors a year in designing behaviors for their own artificial fish and seeing the complex patterns that arise from simple rules. In January, the world's second Virtual FishTank premiered at the St. Louis Science Center.
"The partnership's goal is to make The Virtual FishTank accessible to people beyond the geographic reach of museums where they're installed," said David O'Connor, president, Nearlife. "We'll offer versions of The Virtual FishTank geared to smaller museums. Through the Internet, we'll make it possible for someone on a home computer to build a fish, tag it, then release it into the cyberstream connecting other Virtual FishTanks. We want to bring the fun of The Virtual FishTank to as many kids as we can, where ever they live."
"Partnering with Nearlife enables the Museum of Science to bring this engaging, playful computer simulation to much wider audiences through the Web and smaller, portable exhibits at other museums," said David W. Ellis, president and director, the Museum of Science. "Taking advantage of exciting new technologies to expand our educational impact fits perfectly with our mission and larger technology initiative."
Since 1995, the Museum has explored new ways to present scientific and technological advances in a timely fashion. With the incorporation of The Computer Museum's legacy, the Museum of Science has accelerated the enhancement of computing and other technologies throughout the institution. Plans are underway to open a Current Science & Technology Center in fall 2000. The Museum is also developing a new long-range vision for informal technology education to complement its approach to the sciences.
New specialized, lower cost, versions of The Virtual FishTank suitable for smaller museums and other locations will allow visitors to enjoy most of the features of the original Virtual FishTank but on a smaller scale. The digital tank will be viewable from the top and front of the self-contained structure. Separate interactive modules around the tank afford visitors the opportunity to create and steer fish through the virtual environment or drop virtual food pellets into the tank.
The Web version of The Virtual FishTank will allow people anywhere in the world to experience the fun and excitement of creating their own fish from home or school and releasing them into their own personal tank or into the giant central tank at the Museum of Science. Graphic life histories of their fish will allow people to grasp how simple rules can lead to complex behaviors. The Web version will be linked to the Museum of Science's Virtual FishTank so that visitors will be able to recall the fish that they created online and watch them interact with the existing fish in The Virtual FishTank at the Museum of Science. Nearlife and the Museum of Science plan to introduce the Web version in early summer 2000.
Recent Nearlife Living Entertainment projects and attractions include:
KidsRoom2: Opened to the public on New Year's Eve, 2000, at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, England, KidsRoom2 is a highly interactive child's fantasy bedroom where the walls come alive with virtual birds and bemusing monkeys. Nearlife's most ambitious and elaborate Living Entertainment project yet, KidsRoom2 is one of the most popular attractions in the Play zone of the Dome.
St. Louis Science Center Virtual FishTank: Similar to the Museum of Science Virtual Fish Tank, the exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center is a featured attraction at the new Cyberville Gallery.
Networking exhibit: In collaboration with the Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, Nearlife is undertaking conceptual design and development for an exhibit about computer networks scheduled to open in February 2001. Using Nearlife's proprietary technology, visitors will be immersed "inside the 'net.'"
About the Museum of Science, Boston
One of the world's largest science and technology centers, the Museum of Science takes a hands-on approach to science, attracting over 1.7 million visitors a year. A leader in informal science education, the Museum demonstrates the excitement and relevance of science through its vibrant programs and over 550 interactive exhibits. Other features include the Thomson Theater of Electricity, home of the world's largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator; the Charles Hayden Planetarium; the Gilliland Observatory; and the Mugar Omni Theater, where a five-story domed screen surrounds audiences with larger-than-life images.
Founded in 1830, the Museum of Science was first to embrace all the sciences under one roof. Its innovative exhibit plan, Science Is an Activity, encourages visitors to learn science by practicing scientific thinking skills. It has been awarded several National Science Foundation grants, setting a national standard for museum exhibit design. Information about the Museum of Science is available at www.mos.org.
About Nearlife
Nearlife is an entertainment company utilizing proprietary technologies to develop new forms of entertainment that immerse audiences in "near life" experiences. Based in Cambridge, MA, Nearlife was founded by Tinsley and Sheri Galyean in 1996, following Tinsley's work at the MIT Media Lab in the area of interactive cinema.
The company is dramatically changing how people think about entertainment by delivering a new genre of entertainment called Living Entertainment. Combining traditional and established entertainment values and the storytelling talents of plot and character development with cutting edge technology, Nearlife delivers highly engaging, creative and stimulating Living Entertainment. In Living Entertainment characters and environments travel, migrate, adapt, grow, change, and react blending the real and virtual worlds.
Nearlife creates experiences for high profile, widely recognized and visionary cultural institutions and public and private organizations. Clients include: the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City; the Museum of Science, Boston; the Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago; the St. Louis Science Center; the Millennium Dome, Greenwich, UK; Intel; Mitsubishi and Microsoft. Nearlife designs, manages, and implements all aspects of its highly successful exhibits and Living Entertainment experiences, including character design, theming, content, graphics, interaction, user interface, software programming and technical supervision.
Nearlife, Living Entertainment and the Nearlife logo are trademarks of Nearlife, Inc.
For Information Contact:
Jim Brady
Nearlife Inc.
info@nearlife.com
(617) 491-3184
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