JFK Art & Ideals Exhibit at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Located in the heart of President Kennedy’s living memorial, this immersive exhibit uses the latest in digital technology to explore how the arts were infused into his personal and presidential life.
The display links the arts to democracy, social change, culture and the White House itself through Kennedy’s eloquent writing and speeches.
Pentagram’s exhibit design features a continuous direct-view LED wall that encircles the upper volume of the space to create a dynamic frieze, allowing visitors to vividly experience Kennedy’s oratory gifts, amplifying the themes of the exhibition. The immersive media environment was developed in collaboration with Batwin + Robin Productions and incorporates photography, text, and archival footage.
A series of three interactive experiences were developed with Studio TheGreenEyl: a life-size dinner table lights up with dynamic graphics to allow visitors to explore connections between historic and contemporary dinner party guests; visitors are able to create an AI-generated portrait in the style of Elaine De Kooning’s presidential portraits; and as they walk in front of an expansive mirror, are presented with a moving word cloud of Kennedy’s speeches, hearing his voice in archival excerpts.
Numerous loudspeakers simultaneously playing back music, video soundtracks, and other sound effects over a dozen simultaneous sound streams. Threshold’s challenge was to ensure that visitors could engage meaningfully with the exhibit’s content and message and avoid generating a confusing and chaotic acoustic environment. Achieving this goal required careful study and close collaboration within Threshold’s team. Specialty loudspeakers limit sound dispersion to tight zones where content can be heard, and careful planning of finishes and aiming angles controls the propagation of sound onward.
Location
Washington, DC
Owner
The John F. Kennedy Center
Team
Acoustics and AV - Threshold
Architect - KieranTimberlake
Exhibit Design - Pentagram, Batwin & Robin, Studio TheGreenEyl
Size
7,500 square feet
Schedule
Completed 2022
