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Museum-goers toy with reality in this Oscar-nominated short

San Francisco’s Exploratorium was founded in 1969 by the US particle physicist and teacher Frank Oppenheimer, the brother of J Robert Oppenheimer. The museum continues to operate today, with more than 1,000 interactive exhibits at the nexus of technology, science and art. In this Oscar-nominated, observational short documentary from 1974, the US director Jon Boorstin captures visitors, young and old, as they explore sound, light and perception through the museum’s many hands-on experiences. Through exquisite cinematography and editing, Boorstin transforms a second-hand journey through the museum into a ceaselessly captivating and reality-bending encounter in its own right.

Video by Exploratorium

Director: Jon Boorstin

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Racing through time on a Brooklyn Bridge trolley ride in 1899

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