Building the Bridge

Having experienced the animated presentation of the formation of the Ramp of Life as a visual experience, the question remains: "How did this happen?" The Building the Bridge gallery presents a vigorously tangible expression of the forces within the Earth that combined to bring about the formation of the Isthmus.

Three 14-meter high rock compositions explode upward into the jagged roof volumes above. Each composition consists of "core samples" gathered from across the Isthmus that vividly demonstrate the hidden forces of subduction, volcanism and sedimentation which together built the Isthmus.

Artifacts, samples and fossils are housed within crystalline vitrines in each composition. Tactile experience and physical examination are the primary modes of exploration in this gallery. The concept of rock as "crystalline life" -- its composition of billions of untold creatures -- is a key message. Visitors will encounter physical evidence and paleogeological explanations of how the earth moves, and the changes that built the Isthmus.

As visitors gradually descend through the tectonic forms, there is an explanatory and chronological narrative of the geological events lining the surrounding architectural wall surfaces.