Connected Worlds

Presented in the iconic Great Hall in the New York Hall of Science, Connected Worlds immerses visitors in a fantastical animated world where your actions – gestures, movements, and decisions – impact how well the world is kept in balance.

There are six habitats in Connected Worlds: jungle, desert, wetlands, river valley, reservoir, and grasslands. Each has its own trees, plants, and animals, but they share a common supply of water.  The habitats are fed by a central waterfall that is projected 38-ft high in the exhibitions and flows out across an interactive floor that spans 2,300 square feet.  While interacting with Connected Worlds, visitors explore the interconnectedness of different habitats, strategize to keep systems in balance, and experience how individual and collective actions can have widespread impact.

As visitors explore and play, their actions – gestures, movements, decisions – have both short and long-term effects on the digital habitats. These effects are based on core concepts of sustainability science including feedback loops, equilibrium in a dynamic environment, and casual links and influences.

Design & interactive installation: Theo Watson & Emily Gobeille @ Design I/O
Music & sound design: Diederik Idenburg @ MOST