Sarner produced a powerful design concept aimed at visually communicating the effects of climate change on our environment. Michael Bennett, lead designer and creative director at Sarner, commented on the scale of the project: "Our brief was to provide a unique experience to the visitor, highlighting the current issues of global warming. We have delivered a highly creative solution, supported by the latest technological advances, to portray the full story of how our climate has changed - from the creation of earth through to the potential hazards we may be facing in the future."
Sarner's educational showpiece delivers a highly interactive experience as visitors travel in time and journey through six zones that demonstrate the past, present and future effects of climate change on our world. The exhibit culminates with an evocative narration by Sir David Attenborough in a powerful video production in which he concludes, "We still have time to act to make changes that will secure the life of this planet. This is the only home we have."
The exhibition, which has been created within a new extension to the museum designed by the acclaimed Norwegian Architect Sverre Fehn, begins in the past with 'Earth Creation'. Here visitors witness the dramatic creation of the earth four billion years ago with meteors crashing above their heads and molten lava flowing beneath their feet. The ground shakes as an earthquake tremor is felt, and the audience see the earth forming. From this, visitors move forward in time to 40 million years ago when great mammals roamed the earth - this is 'Tertiary Jungle', where visitors get to experience the greenhouse effect in a hot, humid jungle surrounded by strange animal sounds. Flat screen monitors continue the story using CGI animation sequences enhanced by dramatic lighting effects. Then the earth grows colder, as it did 20,000 years ago, and visitors walk through an air curtain to 'The Last Ice Age'. In this room lighting is key to create a shimmering luminosity that depicts ice and freezing cold temperatures, while CGI animation communicates the physics of how the orbit and tilt of the Earth created the ice age. Visitors even get to experience a real piece of glacier ice.
The doors then open onto 'The Present', an architecturally theatrical room of glass and mirrors that looks directly out onto the spectacular Fjaerland scenery and actually places the visitors within nature.
The last room prior to Sir David Attenborough's narration is 'The Future, Man's Influence', which is split into three areas. The first, set in 2040, shows the potential impact that man could have on Earth with a futuristic style news studio for the climate channel. The second part, a disaster scenario set in 2100, portrays what will happen if nothing is done to change the future and features a dramatic sculpture of a family of climate refugees as its centre piece. The final part of 'The Future' depicts an uplifting scenario of how things could be in 2100 if we change for the better with an interactive floor projection of a desert changing to water - a real hit with younger visitors.
This unique visitor attraction took nine months to create and build and was officially opened by the former US vice-president Walter F. Mondale. Since the exhibition opened, the Glacier Museum has seen a 40% increase in visitor numbers, the majority of which are tourists to the area. 'Our Fragile Climate' was originally produced in just three languages but the museum has recognised the need to increase this and has recently commissioned Sarner to produce the exhibition in another six languages.
(Lee Baldock)
