Gold Mountain: Chinese California Stories

I was given the opportunity to work on an all–new signature exhibit for the California Museum in Sacramento that explores the history of Chinese Americans in California from the Gold Rush to the present day.

“Gold Mountain: Chinese California Stories” tells the story of Chinese immigrants over the past 150 years. In their stories, visitors see the contribution that Californians of Chinese descent have made to the state’s economy, governance, and culture; all while triumphing over racism and other obstacles with ingenuity and perseverance.

I was given the opportunity to work on an all–new signature exhibit for the California Museum in Sacramento that explores the history of Chinese Americans in California from the Gold Rush to the present day.

“Gold Mountain: Chinese California Stories” tells the story of Chinese immigrants over the past 150 years. In their stories, visitors see the contribution that Californians of Chinese descent have made to the state’s economy, governance, and culture; all while triumphing over racism and other obstacles with ingenuity and perseverance.

Role

Lead 3D Designer + Director of Design

Employer

West Office Exhibition Design

Client

California Museum, Sacramento CA

Team Members

Steve Wiersema (Principal at West Office)
Ozan Sirvanlioglu (3D Designer)
Henrike Yama (Graphic Designer)
Jonah Most (Content Developer)

Duration

10 Months

Size

1,400 sq. ft.

Photos

Photos courtesy of West Office.

A projected animation brings the linework to life in order to tell the stories of Chinese American pioneers in this interactive exhibit. Visitors selected one of four stories by touching the corresponding medallion in order to watch the story unfold.

A custom designed eighty-foot dragon floats above the second half of the exhibit signaling a shift in tone and attitudes towards Chinese Americans after the war.

Visitors can listen to reenactments of actual immigration interviews conducted on Angel Island and learn how extreme the interrogations and accommodations were for the Chinese immigrants looking for a new home in California.

Visitors can try their hand at solving several different tangram puzzles at this exhibit. The puzzles range in difficulty level, offering a challenge to a wide variety of players.

Process

After the initial site survey was conducted, we identified architectural changes that would need to be made before the exhibit could be designed. I created an Infrastructure package that included improvements to walls, electrical, and lighting for the exhibit spaces.

Based on the structure of the content being covered, we decided to split the exhibit into two sections. The first one being a linear experience that conveyed the history through the cold war and the second part being a more open flow where visitors could explore in whatever order they chose.

In order to preserve visual openness in the exhibit, I designed a custom screen pattern based on traditional Chinese screens and room dividers. The pattern was then repeated as a graphic texture throughout the exhibit to unify the space.

After the design was finalized and approved by the client, the team created a detailed final design package to bid the project and get it fabricated.