RADIOLAB LISTENING PARTY @ THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

Last night Josh and I attended the Radiolab listening party at the Boston Museum of Science. Part of their When Science Meets Art series, the event was held in the planetarium and the host and producer of Radiolab, Jad Abumrad, was their for a Q&A sesh. The sold out crowd filed into the planetarium and leaned back in our chairs. The lights dimmed and above us appeared the night sky. For the next hour, we listened to the Space episode from season two. As the program shifted between stories and interviews, the sky above us moved as well.

There's something to be said about events like this. In the past, evening radio programs were best experienced in a group setting. We all know the image of a family gathering around the radio after dinner for the news and variery programs. There isn't a drive for this communal experience anymore. Radio has been limited to road trips and portable podcasts. All of us could have listened to this episode online from our own home's, but we chose to come out to the Museum of Science on a wednesday night and sit in a dark room together. So it was exciting and fun to experience such interesting topics with strangers.

The Museum also opened up the Blue Wing for a mingle session, some interactive art, and also a chocolate fountain. Jad was there to answer questions and hang out.

So many people kept coming up to him that I don't think he ever got to try the treats. Josh and I sure had our fill of chocolate covered strawberries.

The interactive exhibit was a media installation where you could stand in front of a green screen and have your image be kaleidoscoped with other people and topical background images. It was alright.

One could easily find similar attractions at other museums. Also, the screen was too small to even see the components that made up the final image. It would have been more fun if it was larger.


We had more fun exploring the other floors on the Blue Wing and playing with the optical illusions. The museum was also a new adult gallery, so for their first show they featured photographs by Edward Burtynsky. I recommend people see the documentary Manufactured Landscapes, which is about his work.

Overall, it was a fun time and I'll be looking forward to the next When Science Meets Art event at the museum. Listen to all the Radiolab episodes and also there podcast on their website.