Orlando Science Center installs permanent Pulse tribute exhibit

Orlando Science Center has unveiled art that will stand as a permanent tribute to victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting.

Artist Christy McCutchen’s mixed-media installation, titled “Facets of Love,” will stand in the newly renovated Fusion: A STEAM Gallery exhibit area at the science center.

Her project incorporates the paper hearts that were made and hung on the bridge that connects the science center and its parking garage in the weeks after the June 2016 tragedy.

(The hearts on the bridge already had been replaced with crystal ones in fall of last year, the science center said.)

“I think it’s really important that art and science intersect as much as possible,” McCutchen said. “Artistic connections made through intuition are often what spur scientific exploration. It’s the curiosity of the imaginative mind that begins to take a closer look.”

The project is on a wall and is made of five circular pieces that have a kaleidoscope/ stained-glass feel. Along with the hearts are a transit map of Orlando created by Nathan Selikoff and a star map of the night sky of June 12, 2016.

Additional art and technology pieces by local artists are also being installed. Traveling art exhibitions will be displayed on a rotating basis, beginning later this month.

The art — including “Facets of Love” — is included in general admission to the Orlando Science Center.