The new opened Labyrinth of Arts and Sciences Museum in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi features a 3D theatre. The museum which features a 31 x 17 foot Harkness Spectral 240 3D screen and MF Wrap-round frame marked the opening with a movie that is part of its Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia exhibit. Papalote Children’s Museum in Mexico City was hired by the government of San Luis Potosi to develop the entire project and the exhibits for the new museum which would be based on the Arts and Sciences. The 165 000-square-foot indoor/outdoor museum sits on 16 acres of land. Renowned Mexican architects Ricardo and Victor Legorreta were hired to design it and they developed a Mexican colonial type of architecture with a modern twist. The exhibit halls are distributed around a large patio with a roofed corridor around it giving it a cloister type of effect. Visitors have access to each individually themed exhibition hall by walking from the patio and through the cloister area. “When we started working on this project in 2005 we discovered the need to improve or extend the goals or attractions of the museum ” says Alexander Fucikovsky Papalote’s project manager. “So our general director spoke with the San Luis Potosi government and told them that it would be desirable to add about four or five additional elements to the project including a 3D theatre for 100 people. As a result the Papalote team developed the concept of a 3D theatre. The next step then was to pick the right screen for the theatre. “We did our research and it became clear that the Harkness Spectral 240 3D screen was our best option ” says Fucikovsky. “After seeing the movie projected on the screen there is no doubt we made the right decision.” To accompany the Spectral 240 a Harkness MF Wrap-round frame was also installed. The frame is made from prefabricated sections of round tubular steel that are bolted and clamped together. “Since the museum opened a few months ago the 3D theatre has been very successful ” says Fucikovsky. “The government of San Luis Potosi has had nothing but great things to say about the screen and the movie and have sold many shows at 90-95 percent occupation.” Fucikovsky says he plans on using another Harkness screen for an upcoming project for yet another museum; this one being built for the governor of Durango (Mexico). “We look forward again to working with Harkness Screens to design and install another great screen.” Harkness Screens www.harkness-screens.com
