The world-renowned science museum “Exploratorium” sits at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero, north of San Francisco. When visited on the 19th (local time), the Exploratorium had neither the spacious garden nor the grand building one might expect. Its exterior was so plain that it could pass for a warehouse built along the pier.
Yet this is a temple of science that draws close to a million visitors each year and serves as a benchmark for science museums around the world. Ken Finn, an Exploratorium educator, said, “This is not a place to explain, but a place to explore,” adding, “Visitors become participants and learn with their own bodies.”
The “hands-on” approach of modern science museums—where visitors touch and experiment with exhibits to discover scientific principles—was born here. It is estimated that more than 80% of science museums worldwide have been influenced by the Exploratorium’s experiential exhibition method. In 1969, American physicist Frank Oppenheimer founded the Exploratorium on the belief that “science is not something you watch, but something you do,” and that tradition continues. Frank Oppenheimer was the younger brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the nuclear theoretical physicist made famous by director Christopher Nolan’s film “Oppenheimer.”
The Exploratorium greets visitors with some 650 kinds of exhibits spanning science, art, and even climate change, all developed and built in-house. Each exhibit bears the name of the scientist who led its development. Children played by touching, seeing, and hearing the exhibits directly. They watched an egg hatch through a microscope, and did “sun painting” by reflecting light entering from outside the building with mirrors and prisms. They played with soap bubbles, and, adjusting force together with their parents, stacked square wooden pieces suspended by three strings into a designated space.
The Exploratorium separately operates a dedicated gallery for testing and evaluating prototypes of new exhibits. Exhibit development, experimentation, and visitor response all take place organically in one space. It also runs a wide range of educational programs for students, teachers, and general visitors, serving as a hub that drives innovation in science education.
A facility like the Exploratorium is now coming to Korea as well. In April, Hyundai Motor (005380) Group signed a strategic partnership with the Exploratorium to build an experiential science museum in Korea. The aim is to provide the future growth generation with new opportunities for scientific experience and learning. The science museum will open in 2032 at Hyundai Motor Group’s Global Business Complex (GBC) in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Experts from various fields—including scientists, educators, and artists—will take part in exhibition planning and research, and the museum will develop and operate programs connecting schools and local communities, serving as a “science community platform.”
Hyundai Motor Group will also hold a free pop-up exhibition, “Have Fun with Science,” at Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul beginning in October. The exhibition will consist of experiential exhibits that let visitors exercise creativity based on the principles of basic science. During the exhibition period, various events and special programs for adults will also be held.
