California Science Center

	*FADE: The Dark Side of Light* is a 1,200 sq.ft. traveling exhibit created in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute that blends science and art by exploring the destructive effects of light exposure on priceless museum treasures and family photos. It also offers suggestions for mitigating the damage. FADE’s interactive exhibits explain the nature of light and why it permanently changes the appearance of many objects. What can guests do and learn in the FADE exhibit? FADE’s interactive exhibits explain the nature of light and why it permanently changes the appearance of many objects. Using their own energy, guests can create traveling waves of different lengths to better understand the relationship between wavelength and energy. Then through an AV program, guests can zoom in and learn how light damages materials at the atomic level. The exhibit also features a series of projected images which first appear and then slowly fade from view. The selected images span over 100 years and convey how photographs safeguard both personal and collectively held memories. Visitors see further dramatic evidence of light damage through photographs, works of art and a collection of everyday items. “This exhibit serves to increase awareness about how we’re losing our past through light exposure.” said Science Center curator Ken Phillips. “Creating this exhibit with the Getty Conservation Institute, which has an excellent research lab focused on this topic, was a rare and exceptional opportunity.” Elements of the Exhibit: Exhibit-1: Lift the flap on a reproduction of a Rousseau painting to see the effects of light exposure. Exhibit-2: This continuous video shows the relationship between light intensity and time of exposure in causing photographs to fade. Exhibit-3: Visitors create their own mechanical waves to discover the relationship between energy and wavelength. Exhibit-4: Visitors use a light source to explore the basic behavior of light. By bouncing the light from a mirror visitors learn about reflection. A glass prism lets them see light bend as it crosses the boundary between thin air and the thicker prism glass. A diffraction grating breaks the light into the colors of the rainbow so that visitors can understand that light is composed of many frequencies. An absorbing material turns colors when exposed to light for a short time helping visitors to understand that light packs a punch and affects the behavior of materials. Exhibit-5: This continuous video shows how light actually damages objects by taking the visitor down to the atomic level using a clever animation. Exhibit-6: This interactive exhibit allows visitors to experiment with the effects of UV protective Plexiglas Exhibit-7: At this interactive exhibit visitors can illuminate a painting with different frequencies of light in order to evaluate the difference in viewing quality. Exhibit-8: At this interactive exhibit visitors can explore the concept of “relative contrast sensitivity” by sliding identical photographs of the famous Conway Castle into areas having different contrasting backgrounds. Visitors can also view a continuous video that challenges them to make decisions about which of two images actually is darker in shading. Exhibit-9: This micro-enclosure holds a replica of the worlds first know photograph and demonstrates how exhibit conservators and curators create oxygen-free environments for the display of high value objects. Are there any additional costs? Additional Costs: Inbound shipping (1 truck), Insurance, and Security (medium level) How long does it take to install and dismantle? Installation and dismantling are 5 days each. This includes one supervisor who travels with the exhibit to oversee installation and dismantle. For more detailed information, please contact: Luke Fernandez Special Exhibits Coordinator California Science Center 700 State Drive Los Angeles, CA 90037 Phone: 213-744-7421 or Email: lfernandez@cscmail.org For current availability, please view the latest Tour Schedule.