Since it look like Avatar isn’t going to be challenged as the most popular of digitally-created, 3D cinematic worlds anytime soon, I thought I might turn you on to a Pandora-based exhibit at what sounds like a pretty cool joint – the Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum (EMP | SFM) in Seattle.
They’ve just announced a partnership with Fox, James Cameron, and the Avatar crew to put on AVATAR: An Exhibition beginning June 4th, 2011. As you might expect there will be props, sketches, video features, and other exhibit-type presentations to give visitors a more close-up look into the world of Pandora and the making of the film. You can read the full press release below.
Avatar was nothing if not an impressive endeavor of filmmaking craft and technical innovation, which makes it perfect for the focus of this kind of exhibit, which isn’t really concerned with script and storytelling. For any Seattleites (a word that looks more like the phonetic spelling of a southerner talking about a cosmic body than a word for the peoples of a city) that are in the area, or any other Avatar fans that are still planning next summer’s vacation, you may have just found found a perfect target. Ticket prices and that sort of business are also below.
The Pandora exhibition isn’t the only bit of nerd catering going on, as they’ve got a similar event for Battlestar Galactica rolling from now till March.
EMP|SFM and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products Announce
Global Premiere of AVATAR: The Exhibition Scheduled to Open in
Seattle on June 4, 2011
Global Premiere of AVATAR: The Exhibition Scheduled to Open in
Seattle on June 4, 2011
SEATTLE, WA – Fans of AVATAR, the highest grossing film of all time, will have a chance
to get a first-hand look inside the spectacular world of Pandora through AVATAR: The
Exhibition which will open at Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM)
in Seattle on June 4, 2011. Developed in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer
Products and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, AVATAR: The Exhibition will
feature authentic props and costumes, interactive displays, concept models, and sketches
from the blockbuster film.
“The exhibition is going to be a unique opportunity for people to learn more not only about
how the film was made, but also experience Pandora in a much deeper way. Fans will
be able to see in-person the workmanship behind the film, whether it’s how scenes are
captured; or how a Na’vi costume was built first as a real world garment then produced
digitally,” said director James Cameron. “It’ll create a tactical reality that’ll be a good
companion to having seen the movie.”
AVATAR: The Exhibition will include elaborate displays of artifacts and props such as the
actual AMP (Armored Mobility Platform) suit used in the combat scenes, soldier uniforms,
and the original, hand-made models of the Na’vi characters and their wardrobes. Visitors
will get to step into Cameron’s role as director and experience the process of creating
a film like AVATAR through a series of interactive installations that demonstrate the
groundbreaking usage of motion capture, virtual and 3-D technologies in film. The creation
of Pandora will also be explored, revealing the science behind the universe, the creatures,
the plants and origins of the Na’vi culture.
“We’re honored to work with James Cameron and debut AVATAR: The Exhibition at our
museum in Seattle,” said Brooks Peck, Associate Curator at EMP|SFM. “AVATAR completely
revolutionized filmmaking, advancing production technologies and processes, and forever
changing how we watch movies. In the exhibition, we’ll bring to life the imagination of
AVATAR as well as the technological innovations Cameron mastered to capture the magic
on-screen.”
Robert Marick, Executive Vice President of Fox Consumer Products added, “This installation
continues an effort on behalf of Fox to bring the AVATAR experience to life off the screen.
The exhibit will be a true tribute to the amazing world created by James Cameron and to the
fans that celebrate it.”
AVATAR: The Exhibition will run in Seattle through September 3, 2012, and then travel to
other major arts and cultural institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
###
Current and upcoming exhibitions at EMP|SFM:
Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition
Open now through March 4, 2012
Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses
April 16, 2011 – April 22, 2013
ABOUT EMP|SFM
Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM) is dedicated to the exploration
of creativity and innovation in popular music and the thought-provoking ideas and
experiences of science fiction.
ABOUT THE EMP|SFM BUILDING
Since EMP opened in 2000 and SFM in 2004, EMP|SFM has welcomed more than 5 million
visitors through its doors. From its museum planning stages in 1998 through 2009,
EMP|SFM has been a key economic driver among Seattle nonprofit arts and culture
organizations, with combined EMP|SFM institutional expenditures and EMP|SFM audience-
member spending resulting in $651 million dollars of local economic impact. EMP|SFM
is housed in a 140,000 square foot Frank O. Gehry-designed building. This spectacular,
prominently visible structure has the presence of a monumental sculpture set amid the
backdrop of the Seattle Center.
ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and
markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation,
Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The
division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of
primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
ABOUT AVATAR
Since its global theatrical release last December, AVATAR has continued to make motion
picture history. Written by James Cameron and produced with his long-time collaborator Jon
Landau, AVATAR stars Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang,
Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi and Laz
Alonso.
The Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking
in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. Director James Cameron takes audiences to
a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of
redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR delivers
a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology
invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature
of the story. On November 16th, the AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, a three-
disc set with over eight hours of never-before-seen material, 45 minutes of amazing deleted
scenes and in-depth exploration into the world of Pandora, released in North America and
internationally from November 15th.
EMP|SFM MUSEUM HOURS
Winter hours September 7, 2010 – May 30, 2011, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer hours May 31, 2011 – September 5, 2011, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
TICKETS
$15 for adults; $12 for youth (ages 5-17), students, military and seniors; free for members
and children under 5
CONTACT INFO
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700, main line
206-770-2702, box office
1-877-EMP-SFM1, toll-free
www.empsfm.org
Media Contacts:
EMP|SFM
Anita Woo
206-262-3245
Cell: 206-795-1602
anitaw@empsfm.org
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
Cynthia Pascoe
310-369-2492 / Cynthia.Pascoe@fox.com
Bender/Helper Impact
Brian Reinert/Daniella Apfel
212-689-6360 / brian_reinert@bhimpact.com/daniella_apfel@bhimpact.com
to get a first-hand look inside the spectacular world of Pandora through AVATAR: The
Exhibition which will open at Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM)
in Seattle on June 4, 2011. Developed in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer
Products and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, AVATAR: The Exhibition will
feature authentic props and costumes, interactive displays, concept models, and sketches
from the blockbuster film.
“The exhibition is going to be a unique opportunity for people to learn more not only about
how the film was made, but also experience Pandora in a much deeper way. Fans will
be able to see in-person the workmanship behind the film, whether it’s how scenes are
captured; or how a Na’vi costume was built first as a real world garment then produced
digitally,” said director James Cameron. “It’ll create a tactical reality that’ll be a good
companion to having seen the movie.”
AVATAR: The Exhibition will include elaborate displays of artifacts and props such as the
actual AMP (Armored Mobility Platform) suit used in the combat scenes, soldier uniforms,
and the original, hand-made models of the Na’vi characters and their wardrobes. Visitors
will get to step into Cameron’s role as director and experience the process of creating
a film like AVATAR through a series of interactive installations that demonstrate the
groundbreaking usage of motion capture, virtual and 3-D technologies in film. The creation
of Pandora will also be explored, revealing the science behind the universe, the creatures,
the plants and origins of the Na’vi culture.
“We’re honored to work with James Cameron and debut AVATAR: The Exhibition at our
museum in Seattle,” said Brooks Peck, Associate Curator at EMP|SFM. “AVATAR completely
revolutionized filmmaking, advancing production technologies and processes, and forever
changing how we watch movies. In the exhibition, we’ll bring to life the imagination of
AVATAR as well as the technological innovations Cameron mastered to capture the magic
on-screen.”
Robert Marick, Executive Vice President of Fox Consumer Products added, “This installation
continues an effort on behalf of Fox to bring the AVATAR experience to life off the screen.
The exhibit will be a true tribute to the amazing world created by James Cameron and to the
fans that celebrate it.”
AVATAR: The Exhibition will run in Seattle through September 3, 2012, and then travel to
other major arts and cultural institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
###
Current and upcoming exhibitions at EMP|SFM:
Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition
Open now through March 4, 2012
Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses
April 16, 2011 – April 22, 2013
ABOUT EMP|SFM
Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM) is dedicated to the exploration
of creativity and innovation in popular music and the thought-provoking ideas and
experiences of science fiction.
ABOUT THE EMP|SFM BUILDING
Since EMP opened in 2000 and SFM in 2004, EMP|SFM has welcomed more than 5 million
visitors through its doors. From its museum planning stages in 1998 through 2009,
EMP|SFM has been a key economic driver among Seattle nonprofit arts and culture
organizations, with combined EMP|SFM institutional expenditures and EMP|SFM audience-
member spending resulting in $651 million dollars of local economic impact. EMP|SFM
is housed in a 140,000 square foot Frank O. Gehry-designed building. This spectacular,
prominently visible structure has the presence of a monumental sculpture set amid the
backdrop of the Seattle Center.
ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and
markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation,
Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The
division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of
primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
ABOUT AVATAR
Since its global theatrical release last December, AVATAR has continued to make motion
picture history. Written by James Cameron and produced with his long-time collaborator Jon
Landau, AVATAR stars Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang,
Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi and Laz
Alonso.
The Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking
in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. Director James Cameron takes audiences to
a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of
redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR delivers
a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology
invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature
of the story. On November 16th, the AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, a three-
disc set with over eight hours of never-before-seen material, 45 minutes of amazing deleted
scenes and in-depth exploration into the world of Pandora, released in North America and
internationally from November 15th.
EMP|SFM MUSEUM HOURS
Winter hours September 7, 2010 – May 30, 2011, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer hours May 31, 2011 – September 5, 2011, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
TICKETS
$15 for adults; $12 for youth (ages 5-17), students, military and seniors; free for members
and children under 5
CONTACT INFO
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700, main line
206-770-2702, box office
1-877-EMP-SFM1, toll-free
www.empsfm.org
Media Contacts:
EMP|SFM
Anita Woo
206-262-3245
Cell: 206-795-1602
anitaw@empsfm.org
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
Cynthia Pascoe
310-369-2492 / Cynthia.Pascoe@fox.com
Bender/Helper Impact
Brian Reinert/Daniella Apfel
212-689-6360 / brian_reinert@bhimpact.com/daniella_apfel@bhimpact.com