Modest multi-narrative media stations for natural history museum

The Senckenberg Society has been conducting research for 200 years on the variety of animate and inanimate nature.

In the process, it has collected and conserved more than 40 million biological and geological objects spread over 11 locations in Germany. The anniversary exhibition presents a huge cross-section of this geobiodiversity research.

We kickstarted a central database, in close collaboration with the curator and the scenographers from POINT.Architektur, to cope with the tasks involved in registering the data for all the exhibition objects, planning the display case, and compiling the digital content.

This database collected all the relevant information about each exhibit and was available on the web and on mobile devices. It included names, measurements, notes on mounting, names of lenders, as well as scientific information such as the distribution, habitat, and age of each item. The use of photos was very important; at first, simple photos of each exhibit were done with the mobile app, later these were replaced with professional photos. Administering all the required data using a central database allowed a very efficient exchange of information between the curators, scenographers, writers, scientists, and translators.

In the second phase, the database ensured problem-free updating between all media stations, which accessed their data live from the same system. It also allowed corrections to be made during ongoing operations.

For any final photo fine-tuning, we implemented a photo-editor within the exhibit, which allowed the photographer to rework image croppings and image selections right in the exhibition room.

We believe that the core task for a museum is to collect and exhibit authentic originals objects. The opportunity to use digital systems in museums has tremendous potential, since many properties and aspects of objects are not directly visible. 

However, an additional layer of information always creates additional complexity in the presentation, which then needs to be understood by visitors. The digital layer must only extend but not eclipse the authentic layer. 

Our multiple-narrative interactive approach offers all of the relevant target-groups a scientific and aesthetically appealing introduction to the topic of geobiodiversity. 

In collaboration with the scenographers POINT.Architektur, it was very important to us to implement the media stations in an unpretentious and honest way, providing maximum insight with a minimum of means.