An American Expedition to Northern Burma

Confluences is not your typical exhibition about an expedition. Curator Erin L. Hasinoff views expeditions as “cosmopolitan adventures” that were a “confluence” of the knowledge and cooperation of local indigenous people, with the expertise of organizers, scientists and sponsors.

The 1935 Vernay – Hopwood Upper Chindwin River expedition relied on Yunnanese muleteers, Burmese guides, Goan skinners, and Kachin porters and guides. At the interactive kiosk, visitors discover how difficult and extraordinary the expedition was. They can navigate using maps or a timeline. Along the way they will hear birdsongs, read diary excerpts and watch clips from film footage of the expedition, shot by Henry C. Raven, associate curator at AMNH. They can see the locations as they look on Google Earth today.

The Digital Media Lab at the Bard Graduate Center commissioned MediaCombo to take the exhibition content, developed by students under the guidance of curator Hasinoff, an AMNH postdoctoral fellow in museum anthropology, and then develop an interactive kiosk presentation that would allow visitors to follow the expedition party during its three month journey.

Our work encompassed designing the user interface, developing the application and providing a Content Management System for Bard to work with going forward.