Multimedia exhibits for permanent natural science exhibition

How do animals make use of their habitat to fight diseases? What active ingredients does nature provide for our healthcare? And which pathogens can only be passed on to us humans by other living creatures?
The “Nature + Medicine” exhibition explores these and many other fascinating questions. Together with the curatorial team and the architects from Bach Dolder, we were able to create a varied space in which a wide audience is encouraged to discover, learn and try things out.

The curators were provided with a customized content management system (CMS) that allows them to update and add content such as text, images and videos at any time. The content of some media stations can also be individually configured and prioritized.

Together with the robust and durable hardware, this provides the technical infrastructure for the museum team to manage the exhibition independently and long-term.

The diversity of the exhibition experience also results from the variety of media exhibits. Due to the very different operating, communication and content structures, each exhibit required an individual software basis. Thanks to efficient solutions, our team was nevertheless able to achieve a budget-friendly implementation.

The visual focal point of the space is a stylized replica of Frankfurt’s historic Hirsch Apotheke. Inside the “pharmacy”, a seven-meter-wide mural shows a collage of 110 organisms. This cryptic work of art is only resolved by the media table facing it: visitors select the collage’s abstract elements on the left screen and receive detailed information about their relevance to medicine on the right. Categories such as “family” or “substance group” as well as a glossary allow cross-referencing and targeted research.

They present interviews with five scientists who answer questions about their research. The touchscreens allow the selection of questions and navigation between the protagonists. When one of the two handsets is lifted, the video idle loop automatically switches to the first interview question. Thanks to subtitles, versions are available in German and English.

One area of the exhibition is dedicated to the topic of zoonoses, i.e. diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans. We have integrated a screen into the exhibit that gives visitors access to a detailed collection of zoonoses too extensive to be displayed in analog form. A rotary wheel can be used to scroll linearly through the zoonosis alphabet, which provides detailed information on pathogens, diseases, spread and transmission in images and text. The simple navigation and clear screen design make the topic accessible to a wide audience.

Using a mirrorhead projector, the corner of the room can be used seamlessly. In collaboration with the artist Merlin Flügel, several illustrated animations were created which, together with a simultaneously played audio, lend atmosphere to the room.