There’s been a growing excitement around the opening of Pacific Visions, the Aquarium of the Pacific’s first major expansion, which will be officially unveiled on Memorial Day weekend. This Thursday, however, the public will have an advance opportunity to experience the new wing and hear from the project architect, the exhibit and content creator, a scientific advisor, and the project director at a panel discussion led by the Aquarium’s President and CEO Dr. Jerry Schubel.

A man and a woman standing outside of the Pacific Visions facility
Over 800 shimmering blue glass panels were installed to form the beautiful external façade of the Pacific Visions building. Photo courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific.

The panel will take an in-depth look at the biomorphic design, bird-friendly glass façade, interactive game tables, art installation built with data collected from the world’s ocean, original film with multi-sensory effects, the science informing next steps we all can take to make a new planet here on Earth, and more. Attendees will get a sneak peek at the Honda Pacific Visions Theater and view its new film during the free event in advance of Pacific Visions’ public opening on May 24, 2019.

Two turtles on a large, curved, movie screen at the Honda Pacific Visions Theatre
Vibrant images of marine life are featured in a film viewers will be able to watch on a 130-foot-wide, curved screen at the new Honda Pacific Visions Theatre. Photo courtesy of Howard Hall Productions.

In addition to the Aquarium’s president, the panel will include Duncan Ballash, president of EHDD, the architecture firm that designed the expansion; Joe Cortina, president of Cortina Productions, who produced the Pacific Visions film and interactive exhibition content; Peter Kareiva, director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, and a science advisor for Pacific Visions; and Fahria Qader, project director of Pacific Visions and architecture at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The panel discussion will take place at the new, state-of-the-art, Honda Pacific Visions Theater (which is connected to the Aquarium of the Pacific, located at 100 Aquarium Way) on Thursday, May 16th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Guests can reserve tickets online here or call (562) 590-3100. The discussion will also be streamed live and archived at aquariumofpacific.org.