THE BRIEF

2020 is the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St Helens. It was the most destructive volcanic eruption in our nation’s recorded history and remains one of the most universal memories among Pacific Northwesterners. It was also the first eruption of its kind to be extensively photographed and videotaped, creating a wealth of visible and audible records.

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture approached Houdini with the opportunity to create the branding and overall look and feel for the exhibit, as well as an interactive installation. Since the eruption was within the last half century, there exists a large populace available to recount their experience and share it with a willing audience. In order to capture these accounts, Houdini created a website that allowed users to write their stories, upload images or upload videos. These submissions were then collected in a database for future reference and viewing in the exhibit.

Visitors at the Mount St Helens exhibit are able to approach the iPad connected to the database of accounts and scroll through a gallery of submissions. On the wall in front of the iPad is a projection of Mount St Helens with smoke billowing out, ash falling and sticky notes flying around the smoke and mountain. Upon selection of the desired account from the gallery on the iPad, one of the sticky notes flies into view and takes over the main screen. Videos will play for everyone to see, with a sound cone directing the audio to minimize any intrusiveness.