Within the exhibition path “Sustainability Education Campaign - Humans, environment, animals: a unique harmony” of the Museum System of the University of Calabria (SiMU), funded by the Calabria Region - Departments of Education and Equal Opportunities and Health and Health Services, an interactive and accessible digital installation was developed to communicate the evolution of life on Earth at the Museum of Paleontology. The installation is centered on a large touchscreen display (220 × 132 cm), through which visitors can explore multimedia content illustrating the evolution of life across the geological time scale. The project is grounded in original paleoart production: twelve illustrations, spanning from the Precambrian to the Pleistocene, reconstruct past environments and organisms based on current scientific knowledge. Each scene is structured in interactive layers, enabling users to select individual organisms (fauna and flora) and access detailed focus sheets. Geological periods are supported by concise explanatory texts. The experience is further enhanced by interactive 3D models derived from scans of fossils housed in the museum’s collections. A key feature of the system is its modular and updatable design: illustrations were conceived to preserve visual coherence while allowing the addition of new taxa, and the platform supports continuous content implementation and revision. This approach ensures long-term adaptability and alignment with scientific advancements. By integrating paleoart, interaction design, and 3D modeling, the installation promotes a non-linear, multi level exploration that enhances understanding of evolutionary processes and organism-environment relationships, while contributing to the valorization of local heritage and the development of museum based tourism.
Paleoart strategies for communication: an interactive installation from the Paleontological Museum of the University of Calabria
Mattia Yuri Messina
;Carla Buosi;
2026-01-01
Abstract
Within the exhibition path “Sustainability Education Campaign - Humans, environment, animals: a unique harmony” of the Museum System of the University of Calabria (SiMU), funded by the Calabria Region - Departments of Education and Equal Opportunities and Health and Health Services, an interactive and accessible digital installation was developed to communicate the evolution of life on Earth at the Museum of Paleontology. The installation is centered on a large touchscreen display (220 × 132 cm), through which visitors can explore multimedia content illustrating the evolution of life across the geological time scale. The project is grounded in original paleoart production: twelve illustrations, spanning from the Precambrian to the Pleistocene, reconstruct past environments and organisms based on current scientific knowledge. Each scene is structured in interactive layers, enabling users to select individual organisms (fauna and flora) and access detailed focus sheets. Geological periods are supported by concise explanatory texts. The experience is further enhanced by interactive 3D models derived from scans of fossils housed in the museum’s collections. A key feature of the system is its modular and updatable design: illustrations were conceived to preserve visual coherence while allowing the addition of new taxa, and the platform supports continuous content implementation and revision. This approach ensures long-term adaptability and alignment with scientific advancements. By integrating paleoart, interaction design, and 3D modeling, the installation promotes a non-linear, multi level exploration that enhances understanding of evolutionary processes and organism-environment relationships, while contributing to the valorization of local heritage and the development of museum based tourism.
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