Pacific Visions at the Aquarium of the Pacific Redefines the Role of Aquariums

The Aquarium of the Pacific officially opened its first major
expansion, Pacific Visions. The 29,000-square-foot wing houses the
immersive Honda Pacific Visions Theater, an interactive art gallery,
multimedia displays, and animal exhibits. “We are taking a very
non-traditional approach for an aquarium. Through Pacific Visions,
visitors can explore pathways to designing a more sustainable future.
Through creativity, innovation, and willingness to explore new ideas,
humans can create a better planet right here on Earth,” said Dr. Jerry
Schubel, Aquarium president and CEO.

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The new Pacific Vision wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA (© 2019 Tom Bonner)

The inaugural art gallery exhibition focuses on corals and plankton and
features video projections accompanied by spatial soundscapes, a
touchable coral sculpture wall, glass sculptures inspired by plankton,
and a collection of mirrored exhibits called Infinity Coral.

The orientation gallery offers a virtual interactive waterfall. A
26-foot-wide by 9-foot-tall LED screen plays a pre-show film with high
resolution imagery of wildlife, nature, and people to show the beauty,
history, and our changing relationship to the planet.

In the 300-seat Honda Pacific Visions Theater, visitors will be immersed
in Designing Our Future, an 8-minute show that includes
high-resolution imagery projected on a massive curved screen and floor
projection disc. The show is enhanced with multisensory effects
including wind, mist, and seat vibration.

In the culmination gallery, visitors can explore what they can do to
meet the challenge of providing enough food, energy, and water for a
growing human population while conserving nature. The exhibition
features multiplayer game tables; an interactive media wall; and three
live animal exhibits, including the first public exhibit of the
critically endangered delta smelt fish.

Pacific Visions is supported by the City of Long Beach with a $15
million matching grant; a $5 million matching grant from John, Michelle,
Mario, and Therese Molina; and $5 million from American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc. Private donations of $1 million or more have been given by James
and Marilyn Simons, Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg, the Don Temple
Family Charitable Foundation, PREMIER/SMG, and the San Gabriel and Lower
Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

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