Along with WBEZ’s Curious City team, I looked into the listener-submitted question: how many objects does The Field Museum have in its collection, and how many of them are on exhibit at any given time? We took a tour of one of the museum's storage areas, and uncovered a backstory for one artifact that began on the other side of the world. More information, including a video of our adventure, can be found here.
Derelict Dome
I stumbled onto the oldest standing geodesic dome, which was built by the late Buckminster Fuller. Fuller called himself a "comprehensive anticipatory design scientist," out to solve the problems confronting "Spaceship Earth" using smart design. More than fifty years after it was built, the dome is not in good shape. This version of this story was produced in collaboration with 99% Invisible. More pictures of the dome are on their website. (This is the 99%-ified version of Bucky's Dome, posted below.)
Miracle in Gray and White
Neighbors investigate an apparition. Produced for the 2012 Third Coast International Audio Festival ShortDocs challenge, and featured on their radio show Re:Sound. Photo by Arthur Caudy.
Bucky's Dome
In the middle of a town where almost every home is covered in classic New England wood shingles, there's a giant dome. It looks like a three story tall golf ball, and the door was left unlocked. Photo by JP Davidson. (There is a 99%-ified version of this story posted above.)
Shake What Ya Got
Tara Murphy has studied and performed just about every type of dance -- from ballet to flamenco to Indian. For the past 20 years, Tara has been focusing on African dance. She now lives, performs, and teaches on Cape Cod. Photo by Julia Cumes.