Franklin’s Spark / Phila, PA
To celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s 320th birthday and build momentum toward the nation’s 250th anniversary, we transformed The Franklin Institute’s iconic rotunda into a 120-degree, multisensory projection-mapped experience built around one powerful theme: curiosity.
Made possible through the extraordinary generosity of Ed Satell and The Satell Family Foundation, Franklin’s Spark invites guests into a sweeping panoramic environment where questions become catalysts—and wonder becomes the beginning of discovery.
PROJECT TEAM
Lead Experience Designer: Crafted Action
Client: The Franklin Institute
Supported by: Ed Satell & The Satell Family Foundation
Executive Producer: Hillary Crawford
Experiential Motion Designer: Motion by Nick
Visual Design & Art Direction: Alyssa Hamilton
Music Composition: Landon Trimble
Narrative Strategy: ADvsCOPY
Pre-Visualization Studies: Aaron Richardson
Voiceover: Jonathan King
Videography: Aaron Tran
AV Integration: IMS Technology Services
The Brief
Our team was tasked with creating a public-facing activation that would energize the visitor arrival experience leading up to Benjamin Franklin’s birthday, while reinforcing The Franklin Institute’s role in celebrating the country’s upcoming Semiquincentennial.
The experience needed to:
Engage broad public audiences
Honor Franklin’s legacy in a way that felt modern and inspiring
Work within a historically significant and architecturally complex space
Deliver a “wow” moment that still teaches
An experience worthy of a national memorial
As one of Philadelphia’s most iconic public spaces and the national monument to Franklin, the rotunda offered an extraordinary canvas…
and an enormous technical challenge.
The environment required seamless integration across:
61 individual coffers spanning 120 degrees
Over 5,000 square feet of projection
An 82-foot-tall vertical volume with intricate architectural detailing
The result is a fully integrated projection environment that feels native to the space—not pasted onto it—turning the rotunda into an immersive storytelling instrument.
Previsualization with TouchDesigner + After Effects
Before hardware was installed, we built a fully testable 3D simulation of the environment using TouchDesigner and After Effects, allowing us to validate pacing, composition, scale, and projection behavior early, reducing risk, and accelerating final calibration once the physical system went live.
AI Style Transfer
To bring Franklin into the experience in a way that felt artistic, dimensional, and contemporary, we blended photography, AI style-transfer techniques, and custom illustration and animation workflows.
This hybrid approach created a Franklin presence that felt authentic, cinematic, and modern while still holding onto the warmth and charm of illustration.
Don’t forget your bifocals
Beyond the core story of curiosity, Franklin’s Spark was designed to reward guests who look closer.
Across the architecture and motion graphics, subtle details appear throughout the experience, including:
Franklin’s inventions and experiments
Handwriting and personal notes
Biomimicry and nature-inspired thinking
References to objects in The Franklin Institute’s collection
These layered moments invite repeat viewing and deepen the connection for attentive visitors, turning the rotunda into a space where discovery happens at every scale.
Original Music Composition
Featuring Franklin’s Glass Armonica
We composed an original soundtrack built around the sound of Franklin’s own invention: the glass armonica. The score supports the experience’s emotional arc while adding a subtle layer of historical authenticity.
IN THE PRESS
Big lights, big Ben
For Ben Franklin’s birthday, Franklin Institute to unveil an immersive multimedia show as part of America’s 250th celebration
A new "immersive experience" detailing the founding father is lighting up the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial just in time for the 250th celebration.