Ideum A Finalist for Two APEX Awards at Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas

Ideum is a finalist in both the Entertainment & Recreation and Educational Environments categories at the Digital Signage Expo (DSE) international conference.

Digital design firm Ideum is a finalist in two categories for the Digital Signage Expo APEX Awards to be announced in April. The Penguin Chill exhibition, which Ideum developed with the ABQ BioPark and New Mexico BioPark Society, and Deep Dive Into the Brain, developed with the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, are both honored as finalists for this international competition. Finalists were selected from a field of 115 entrants from 19 countries and will be awarded either Gold, Silver, or Bronze APEX Awards at this year’s DSE meeting in Las Vegas, NV.

Penguin Chill is one of the three finalists in the Entertainment & Recreation category. This groundbreaking immersive exhibition takes visitors on a scientific journey to Antarctica. Ideum designed and built several interactive experiences for the exhibition in which visitors assume the role of researchers to learn about penguins, their habitats, climate change, and key STEM concepts.

Ideum completed the project in collaboration with the ABQ BioPark, New Mexico BioPark Society, HB Construction, S2 Associates, and VGHA Architects. The experience opened to the public in the summer of 2019 after two years of development. One of Ideum’s largest exhibition installations to date, Penguin Chill had an immediate impact, as visitation to the BioPark increased by 80% over the same period the year before. The Albuquerque Journal recently reported that this exhibit has helped make the BioPark “the state’s No. 1 most popular attraction.”

Deep Dive Into the Brain puts visitors in command of an awe-inspiring journey into the brain’s inner structure. Reminiscent of the classic 1960s film Fantastic Voyage, the Deep Dive interactive allows visitors to use a custom touch panel to travel inside the human brain through a massive immersive projection. Deep Dive starts outside the brain and moves into more and more intricate and detailed structures, finally finishing at the microscopic level of neurotransmitters, the complex chemicals that form the foundation of neural communication.

This interactive was developed for the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach, FL. Ideum designed and fabricated an immersive 4K projection system and control console with an ultra-high-resolution touch monitor and joystick that allows visitors to navigate through the brain and learn about key structures and neurological processes. Audio and LED lighting add to the immersive experience. The vivid 3D artwork that appears in the dive sequence was created by project partner Intervoke.

“It’s great to have this important work recognized. I am really proud of our team and their ability to use new technologies creatively to shape meaningful visitor experiences. Whether we are using projectors, LED lighting, or fabricating physical exhibits, our team is showing they can create world-class, memorable exhibitions. Great clients and partners also help. These were truly collaborative installations,” said Jim Spadaccini, Ideum’s CEO and Founder.

Last year, Ideum was honored to win a Gold APEX Award in the Experiential Design category for its Exploring Pueblo Pottery project. For that experience, Ideum and Native American artist Michelle Lowden worked together to create an interactive 360-degree projection-mapped exhibit that allowed visitors to learn about traditional Acoma pottery designs and how they highlight important elements of Pueblo life.

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Ideum will be exhibiting at DSE 2020 this year. The firm will be in booth 1122 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

To learn more about the APEX Award 2020 finalists, visit: 
https://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/apex-awards-finalists

To learn about Ideum’s 2019 Gold APEX Award, visit: 
https://www.digitalsignageconnection.com/projection-technology-shines-light-on-the-tradition-of-pueblo-pottery

To learn more about Ideum interactive projects and their unique hardware products, please visit: 
https://ideum.com

Visit our Flickr album for high-resolution images: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ideum/

About Ideum 
Ideum is a 20-year-old digital design firm based in Corrales, New Mexico. In addition to its established line of touch tables, the firm focuses on creating the next generation of visitor experiences that blend the physical and digital realms. Ideum has partnerships with 3M, Barco, Christie Digital, Crestron, LG, and others, allowing its creative digital projects to have direct access to leading-edge equipment and specialized hardware expertise. In addition, Ideum has a fabrication studio that allows it to create custom exhibits, bespoke furniture with embedded digital technologies, and other unique fabricated pieces. For more information, please visit http://www.ideum.com.

It’s great to have this important work recognized. I am really proud of our team and their ability to use new technologies creatively to shape meaningful visitor experiences. Our team is showing they can create world-class, memorable exhibitions. Great clients and partners also help.