Thursday, November 4, 2010

Liberty 360: Stupidity All Around

Liberty 360 is a waste of taxpayer money in that it is a dreadful show - while the design of the space is terrible and the technology is awful, the content manages to be the worst part of Liberty 360.


Neil Nandi
November 4, 2010

Overview
George Washington began the second term in the history of the Presidency of the United States in a plain red brick building called Congress Hall, located on the southeast corner of 6th and Chestnut Streets. The simplicity of this modest building - the precursor to the magnificent U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. - underlies the humble dignity of this nation’s fundamental goal: a government of the people, by the people, for the people. A little more than two hundred years later, Congress Hall has been marred by garish lights from across 6th Street, lights whose tackiness, pointlessness and blindness to good sense underlie those same qualities in its source: Liberty 360, the new show at the Historic Philadelphia Center, located at the southwest corner of 6th and Chestnut Streets. The show runs 15 minutes and costs $6.00, yet somehow manages to be a remarkable waste of time and money.

Historic Philadelphia Incorporated (HPI) suggests something marvelous from its Liberty 360 show, heralding,
“This amazing, emotional, visual and audio film adventure celebrates the iconic symbols which have shaped the history of America... This brand new attraction, a 360-degree, 3-D show designed by David Niles escorts the audience on a journey of discovery and exploration of America...” 
What a wonderful concept: a spectacle that will use cutting-edge entertainment technology to infuse America’s incredible past with an energy capable of powerfully conveying to 21st Century audiences the inspirational story of our freedom. At its core, this is truly a great idea. So was the Edsel.

Instead of delivering a compelling product that merges history with modernity, HPI has produced a boring and disjointed waste of money that, remarkably, may leave audience members less knowledgeable than when they entered.[1]



Dreadful Technology
First, the technology is miserable. Instead of adding dimension, the 3-D effects merely darken and disorient, leaving the show less watchable than if it were in 2-D. The CGI animation is perhaps more embarrassing, harkening to SyFy original movies. The 360-degree is another failed gimmick, since the primary action occurs on a small, central portion of the screen that is simply not 360-degree. In fact, the surrounding screens only show images towards the end of the show, and these images distract from the overall experience by rendering the presentation more difficult to watch. Stunningly, HPI managed to create obstructed views in such a small theater (funded by PECO, an Exelon company) by placing massive support pillars in front of the screen, thereby blocking elements of the show.

Dreadful Design
Second, the space is strikingly poor. In addition to obstructed viewing angles from which traditional movie theaters have not suffered for decades, the only seating in this “65-person theater” is a small bench capable of holding perhaps two people. If you happen not to be amongst the first two in the theater, you must then stand, sit on the floor, or lean against the metal rails in the middle of the floor. In fact, the “seating” arrangement testifies to HPI’s recognition that the show is not 360 degrees, since the bench and the rails all compel viewers towards a single screen and at a single angle. If the show were actually to be 360 degrees, the seats would be arranged in a circular manner more conducive to viewing the surrounding display.

Disjointed Content & Storyline
Third, and most important, the content is abysmal. Somehow, in spite of the terrible space and technology, the content manages to be the worst part of Liberty 360. No coherent storyline exists. It feels like someone took a hodgepodge of poorly-made scenes, randomized their order, and committed to the disjointed result. Bouncing around from images of the Liberty Bell, an American Flag at Citizens Bank Park (home of the Philadelphia Phillies), the streets of Paris, Independence Hall, and scenes from across the United States, the presentation suffers from a dearth of direction. The show fails to showcase Philadelphia, fails to present any issue or concept even in as much as a superficial manner, and fails to engage its audience. Instead, we receive shoddy history, dreadful acting, and a bizarre, ill-conceived meme in which liberty - the most valuable concept in our history - can be contained in a tiny wooden box that Benjamin Franklin totes amidst computer-generated backgrounds.[1]

Personally, I do not want my liberty trapped in a box. I suppose, however, that this symbol is emblematic of Liberty 360 as a whole, since it bastardizes this country’s history, while leaving the citizenry no choice but to pay for it. That’s right: this miserable creation received public support from the National Park Service, the City of Philadelphia, the Delaware River Port Authority, PECO and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In fact, the Commonwealth alone contributed $5 Million dollars to the disaster.[2]

Liberty 360 fails on every level. Instead of dramatically conveying this nation’s history and our valuing of liberty, it strips America’s heritage of its greatness and excitement, leaving in its place a monument to waste and incompetence. Only an idiot would pay for such a wreck. Unfortunately, we are those idiots, paying millions to denigrate the ideals our forefathers established just across the street from the monstrosity called Liberty 360.

Notes:
[1] For example, the Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814, not in 1812, as incorrectly claimed in the Liberty 360 show.

[2] Salisbury, Stephan. "Lights of Liberty getting a high-tech update." Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 2010. Web.

Exhibits:
Lights of Liberty Fact Sheet, September 2010.

Salisbury, Stephan. "Lights of Liberty getting a high-tech update." Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 2010.

Press Release, "Historic Philadelphia, Inc. Opens New Lights of Liberty Attraction," September 28, 2010.