USS Monitor

Transformit contributed to the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, VA. Specifically, Transformit engineered and fabricated fabric components that help theatre visitors experience the sensation of being underwater in a sinking ship. Part of a larger educational exhibit, the theatre environment tells the story of the USS Monitor. The project presented unusual challenges for Transformit as the structure had to be virtually invisible—with no inconsistencies in the projection surface where
panels met. Also, the surface had to capture the coloration associated with being underwater without impacting other projected
images. Transformit lined the theatre walls and ceiling with a variety of concave and convex panels that create the sense of being immersed in the sea. Transformit’s R&D team tested many fabrics and colors, determining the best fabric to create this illusion
without distorting the color from the projections. To solve the “invisible structure” challenge, Transformit engineered a track system that eliminated the need to band the edges of the fabric—resulting in a uniform projection surface. 

The USS Monitor Center was designed by Gallagher and Associates for The Mariners’ Museum and its partner, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Center, one of the most comprehensive resources on the history of ironclad vessels, uses an 18,000-sq. ft. exhibition to tell the story of the USS Monitor and her worthy opponent: the CSS Virginia. The experience includes a rich array of original artifacts, archival materials, immersive multimedia experiences and recreated ship interiors that
transport the visitor back in time to 1862.