Application lab at the Natural History Museum Berlin
Mediasphere For Nature is the multimedia application lab at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Natural History Museum Berlin). The working basis of Mediasphere For Nature is the museum’s digital media, which are generated as part of collection digitization or through the museum’s research activities. The media may include image and audio files as well as digital 3D models.
The core mission of Mediasphere For Nature is to build bridges between research, industry, education, and the creative sector. As a driver of innovation, Mediasphere serves as a central hub at the museum for the development of knowledge-based projects and product innovations.
Originally established through third-party funding, Mediasphere For Nature has meanwhile become a permanent part of the institution. Since 2017, it has carried out numerous projects, collaborations, and events, and has supported partner developments. In doing so, Mediasphere draws on the expertise of the museum’s various departments.
Selected activities of Mediasphere For Nature
Product and prototype development in collaboration with industry:
- Tactile crocodile with sensors and audio feedback, in cooperation with werk5 GmbH
- Augmented reality app for the museum’s historical bird hall, in cooperation with NEEEU Spaces GmbH
- Responsive tactile model of a beetle, in cooperation with werk5 GmbH
- Insect touch table application, in cooperation with interactive scape GmbH
- Beetle design poster, in cooperation with Mediendesign Michael Scheuerl
Collaborative projects and developments in the education sector:
- Transforming patterns of snail shells into sounds, in cooperation with TU Berlin (Technical University of Berlin), project lab science communication
- Museum data as creativity-engine, in cooperation with ifs - Internationale Filmschule Köln (International Film School Cologne); learnings from the project can be found here
- Development of exhibits for the exhibition on the research vessel MS Wissenschaft:
- Contribution to an accessible open-air exhibition for environmental education
VR and multimedia projects:
- Participation in the award-winning crossmedia project MYRIAD, in cooperation with Interactive Media Foundation/ Filmtank/ Miiqo Studios/ Artificial Rome; more about the project: https://myriad.earth/
- Participation in the award-winning virtual reality collaboration project Inside Tumucumaque, in cooperation with Interactive Media Foundation/ Filmtank/ Artificial Rome; more about the project: https://vimeo.com/270886703
- Participation in the music video production MONOH – With Attitude; in cooperation with relative.berlin
- Caveman-VR-prototype[ST1] , in cooperation with TRIAD Berlin Projektgesellschaft mbH
Organization and participation in Hackathons for the innovative reuse of the museum’s digital media:
- Co-organization of the music hackathon Your Ocean Sound 2021
- Coding da Vinci cultural hackathon 2017
- Developments emerging from the hackathon that used museum data:
- Award-winning application SKELEX – using 3D scans of the museum
- Award-winning application for insect sorting/cutting
- Bombus – game prototype; info video: https://vimeo.com/244618045/518be1d17e;
- Developments emerging from the hackathon that used museum data:
- Coding da Vinci cultural hackathon 2018
- Developments emerging from the hackathon that used museum data:
- Award-winning ornithology app
- Award-winning snail selfie app SnailSnap
- Animal Beat Box[ST1] ; try it here: http://animalbeatbox.denkeninechtzeit.net/
- Developments emerging from the hackathon that used museum data:
- Coding da Vinci cultural hackathon 2022
- Creating New Dimensions: 3D hackathon 2022
Organization and support of various events in cooperation with industry, creative sector, and other partners:
- FLORA FAUNA FUTURE – Inspired by Nature
- Networking lab „Cooperation instead of competition – opportunities for bionic solutions in business and organizational processes“
- Inspiration workshops collection development
- Summer pavilion of the cultural and creative industries/ Federal competence center for the cultural and creative industries
- Art exhibition Marlene Bart: Theatrum Radix
Other:
- Mediasphere For Nature informational film from 2019
- Final report of the project „Naturkunde 365/24 – multimediales Applikationslabor des Berliner Naturkundemuseums“, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of Berlin, from which Mediasphere For Nature emerged