Brockenhaus | NATURA 2000
The Brockenhaus, located in the heart of the Harz National Park, opened its new permanent exhibition, “The Brocken as Part of the NATURA 2000 Network of Protected Areas,” in October 2019. Here, visitors receive comprehensive information on all relevant national park topics and are made aware of the rare, disturbance-sensitive animal and plant species. To this end, 235 Media developed scenographies featuring complex environments and multimedia installations.
The exhibition begins with an interactive topographic model of Germany’s highest low-mountain range. A wide range of information is presented on a 220 x 150 cm display—from the history of the Harz Mountains’ formation to suggestions for visiting the national park. The individual topics are supplemented by illustrative slide shows on a large-format wall-mounted monitor and narration that can be heard via single-ear headphones and a multimedia guide.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an immersive forest simulation that illustrates the forest transformation in the Harz National Park through ten seamless multimedia scenes. Here, the biological complexity of the natural processes involved in the gradual transition from a spruce forest to a new wilderness becomes clear. Video projections, organically interwoven with the forest backdrop, bring the forest in the Brockenhaus to life. In each forest area, a multichannel sound design creates a unique auditory atmosphere that dynamically responds to visitors’ interactions. In this exhibition area, modified VR headsets designed to function as viewing telescopes serve as a medium for in-depth information. Depending on the direction of view, each of the four viewing telescopes offers two films about the respective forest areas.
The video panoramas at the end of the exhibition have a contemplative effect. Through 130° video panoramas and targeted 3D sound, the Brocken Primeval Forest, the so-called “battle zone,” and the Brocken summit are portrayed across all four seasons. These unique habitats are showcased alongside a selection of the animals found there, some of which are extremely rare.
235 Media designed and produced the entire exhibition in collaboration with ntk Düsseldorf.
