The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino unveiled its first gallery dedicated to Latino history and culture, the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. With the help of BBI Engineering, visitors are immersed in aural storytelling with Holosonics' focused-sound technology.
['Meet Us' in DC—A Look at the Smithsonian Video Wall]
The 4,500-square-foot Molina Family Latino Gallery serves as a place where generations of rich narratives of Latino culture and heritage come to life, and as a precursor for the eventual Latino Museum. Its central feature, known as "The Foro," boasts eight video columns, each a portal into the lives of Latino and Latina entrepreneurs, educators, activists, community leaders, and artists. Activated by motion sensors as visitors approach, virtual hosts emerge on-screen to warmly greet and share their stories in a lifelike interaction. Every one of the eight displays’ audio narratives is delivered by Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers.
Positioned above each individual storyteller's screen, the dedicated AS-16iX speakers employ Holosonics' patented Audio Spotlight technology to channel the narration into a precise and narrow beam, exclusively to its intended listener, and no one else. A simple touch of the screens allows visitors to engage directly with the available oral histories, distinctly enveloping them in crystal-clear audio programs. The unprecedented sound field control ensures that the audio remains isolated to “The Foro’s” columns specifically, and does not interfere with ambient sounds delivered throughout the larger gallery space.
Vertically oriented FHD LED displays by LG Electronics, enhanced with a Touch Overlay by PQ Labs, grace the gallery, enclosed in bespoke Cinnabar tower boxes. NUC Mini PCs serve as the video source, utilizing Soundblaster USB outputs to synchronize with the speakers seamlessly. The AS-16iX speakers, perched elegantly on pole mounts, conceal Extron shelves behind them, camouflaging secured players and peripherals.
