Spring Box mimics the turbulent emergence of spring water in a sandy bottomed pool. Visitors can change the flow of water which is pumped through a column of sand, thereby controlling a burbling head of sand and water. Red garnet sand on a vibrating membrane behaves in complex ways evocative of plate tectonic motion and the liquification of sediments that occurs during earthquakes. Viewers can reach into exhibit and alter the patterns of miniature subduction zones, fault lines and eruptive geysers with their hands and observe how the patterns reform. The Tornado, centerpiece of the Turbulent Landscapes exhibition, is a 20 foot tall, working model of a hurricane.
Powerful fans create complex airflow patterns.
These patterns are made visible by water vapor released from the bottom of the structure. This glass sphere is filled with fluid. If you could follow one tiny blob of fluid as it moved through these swirls, you would see it perform a random dance-moving slowly, then quickly, first in one direction, then in another. The patterns on this monitor are the result of a camera taking a picture of the picture that it's showing.