A Funhouse-Like Exhibit Is Opening at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is opening an exhibition all about the senses called Our Senses: An Immersive Experience.

Focusing on sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, this “funhouse-like” exhibit will explore how our senses can deceive our perceptions of everyday life and how they have evolved over time, according to a press release.

There will be 11 interactive galleries to put the senses to the test, including a room with changing lights to reveal different images under certain lights; a black and white room that will make the floor look like there are curves and ripples; an audio collage to test how well a person can track individual sounds; a smell test to identify certain fragrances; and learning how the brain works to create perceptions of “reality.” 

Along with these galleries, there will be a live presentation to discuss how we use senses for survival and how it differs from other species.

Our Senses: An Immersive Experience is curated by Rob DeSalle, a curator for the museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology and conducts research at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics. One of the institute’s most recent exhibits is called Brain: The Inside Story and delved into how the human brain uses molecular, chemical, and electrical signals to interpret information.

Our Senses: An Immersive Experience opens to the public on Nov. 20, 2017, and will be on display through Jan. 6, 2019. For more information, visit the American Museum of Natural History’s website, amnh.org.
 


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Main image: Rendering of a gallery where changing lights will reveal a series of different images depending on the color of light.
Courtesy American Museum of Natural History