iart ag » The Messel Pit — Visitor Information Centre

The Messel Pit — Visitor Information Centre

The Messel Pit — a disused mine in Messel in Hesse — is today a world famous source of fossils, Germany’s first UNESCO world natural heritage site and of extraordinary importance for the scientific examination and evaluation of the prehistoric objects found there. With its paleontological sensations, the pit is attracting an ever-growing stream of visitors. iart interactive is responsible for the conception and planning of the numerous media installations and for the architectural and showcase lighting in the public areas of the new visitor information centre.

In the spectacular building created the architects Landau + Kindelbacher, the design of which echoes the structures of the oil shale in the pit, the permanent exhibition designed for the new information centre by Holzer Kobler Architekturen provides visitors with fascinating insights into bygone eras. As well plunging directly into the earth’s treasures and getting to know well-established facts and the scientific background to the pit’s history and its precious fossils, they also experience the earth’s dynamic and the momentum of evolution in an entertaining way.

During their tour through the information centre, visitors essentially encounter two different types of media environments: specially developed displays such as a dynamically illuminated light box, a 360° projection and a multimedia rain forest, on the one hand, and classic screen applications such as interactive information stations, cinema and video stations, on the other.

Dynamically illuminated light box
An unusual 5-metre wide, more than 1 metre-high light box with a dynamically illuminated picture is an eye-catching feature in the foyer of the new visitor information centre: the atmospheric, artistic installation shows a picture of the oil shale that is such an important element of the Messel Pit. The picture, mounted on a Perspex backing, appears three-dimensional because of the rhythmical way in which it is illuminated. The pulsating light accentuates the shale’s different levels and strata, making viewers aware of the beauty of the stone.

360° Projection
In order to bring visitors closer to the fascinating but not always easily accessible history of the millennia-old geological strata, a 360° projection has been created to simulate a shaft drilled to a depth of 433 metres beneath the earth’s surface, which has actually taken place in 2001 . Visitors sit on benches in a round room, experiencing the film projected all around them: ‘2001 — Expedition into a drilling Shaft’ as a thrilling journey that takes them back through the millenniums and millions of years into the depths of the earth. On the basis of a series of exceptional high definition photographs the projection conveys the impression that one is inside a drilling core, offering extraordinary insights into a world that normally remains hidden. A static sign in the film indicates the depth at which visitors are currently situated. At four points that are particularly exciting geologically, the journey slows down before ultimately coming to a complete halt. The film “zooms” the observer into each of the geological strata concerned and further details become visible. Sound, typography and visual effects are used to communicate important facts about the individual stratum before the “journey into the depths” resumes. When visitors reach a depth of 433 meters under the earth, they can “get out” and view the orginal drill cores in the adjacent room.

Multimedia Rain Forest
In the Rain Forest Room, an all-encompassing multimedia display enables visitors to experience life at the time when the Messel Pit was still a crater lake and the small prehistoric horse was not yet an extinct species. The room’s walls are covered all over with an extensive graphic representation of plants. Against this background, animated projections are made to “wander” over the walls by means of various mirror scanner systems: following a predetermined day/night rhythm, the creatures shown are a prehistoric horse, a lemur (a half-ape) and a bat (or a swarm of bats) – all of them animals that can be admired as fossilised exhibits in the display and that are brought to life on the walls. Changing sound and light effects create an atmosphere that immerses visitors even more intensively in the world of a prehistoric rain forest. They provide a structure for the simulated daily sequence, as well as suggesting different climatic conditions. The Rain Forest Room enables visitors to experience a complete day in a rain forest within the space of 6 minutes.

Cinema
In a film lasting about 14 minutes, flashbacks tell visitors the history of the Messel Pit from the days when it was a mine right up until the present day. iart is responsible for the lighting, sound and technical regulation in the auditorium.

Film stations
At various points in the new visitor information centre, film stations have been set up through which important information is communicated regarding the exhibits and related content. One of the highlights is a sample dissection: via a monitor, visitors can follow the live transmission of the microscope images at a dissector’s workplace. A film of the work is shown at times when live images are not required.

Interactive media stations
Information regarding the various exhibits and the themes covered by the new visitor information centre can be called up simply and intuitively on various touch screens. The interactive media stations are a tool for scientific explanation and in-depth examination as well as for the transmission of background knowledge.

Project description for download

The Messel Pit — Visitor Information Centre
Opening: 26 August 2010

Customer
Land of Hesse (D)
Ministry for Science and Art of the Land of Hesse
Building Management of the Land of Hesse
Welterbe Grube Messel gGmbH

Client
Holzer Kobler Architekturen, Zurich

Services iart
Conception and planning of the media installations
and the architectural and showcase lighting in the public areas

Media
360° projection
Multimedia rain forest
Dynamically illuminated light box
Video screens
Interactive media stations

Project Partners
Landau + Kindelbacher, Munich, architecture
Holzer Kobler Architekturen, Zurich, (client), scenography, exhibition design and interior design
Visual Dope AG, Zurich, illustration, graphics and signage
tegoro solutions ag, Basel, content and realisation of ‘360° Projection’ and ‘Multimedia Rain Forest’
ict AG, Kohlberg, realisation of the media installation standard, control system and cinema
MKT AG, Olching, realisation of the dynamically illuminated light box
Kontrastfilm, Mainz, screenplay and production of the film in the cinema

Project Duration
3 years