Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs

How might we bring to life one of the most important fossil finds in all of history? Having recently acquired Horridus, the most complete and finely preserved Triceratops fossil in the world, Melbourne Museum set out to enthrall and connect its visitors to the long extinct world of the Cretaceous, by highlighting the grandeur and magnificence of the most formidable herbivore in history. We were engaged to further develop and deliver an immersive experience that could take visitors on a 67-million year journey through landscapes and complex ecosystems, from the time of the dinosaurs up to the present day.

Animated mega-projections, immersive soundscapes and detailed child-friendly interactive displays follow the fate of Horridus, taking visitors on a multi-act journey through the prehistoric world. Travelling back through time, you find yourself in a dense forest, surrounded by an array of dinosaurs that seem to be very curious about your strange intrusion. Get too close? You might scare them away. As night falls and the predators come out to play, you catch sight of the mighty Triceratops specimen. Suddenly a meteor flashes, revealing the eventual cataclysmic event that marked the destruction of all the dinosaurs.

Engaging visitors in an immersive learning and discovery experience, Triceratops creates a context for imagination and escape. Interactive layers of context and meaning effectively bring a static piece of history to life, educating and inspiring visitors to reflect on the fragility of our planet. In doing so, the exhibition, described by The Age as a ‘spectacle that draws visitors from all over’, has thus far facilitated an effective return on Melbourne Museum’s investment in the Horridus specimen. With opening week being the busiest on record, subsequent weekends have frequently sold out, with an average of 96-98% capacity.

Selected key features include: Cretaceous forest Travelling back through time, you move past the plains of the Montana desert and into the heart of a dense, prehistoric forest. Large-scale projection walls wrap around all sides of the room, immersing you in sun-dappled foliage, vibrant greens, and a diverse array of dinosaurs that seem to be very curious about your intrusion. Infra-red motion tracking turns the room into a responsive grid, with dinosaurs reacting to your movement within the space. Bone scans Moving into the main hall, you’re invited to take a deep dive into the bone structure of the mighty Horridus fossil. Next to the skeleton, a series of seven rotary dials allow you to inspect and expand impressive three-dimensional scans of individual bones, while information hotspots highlight important clues about Triceratops’ existence 67 million years ago. A unique combination of large-scale projections and smaller interactive zones allow multiple individuals to interact and explore, while larger groups of visitors simultaneously watch on. Sound design A series of immersive, multi-channel soundscapes move with you through the space, weaving together each section of Horridus’ story. In the prehistoric forest, spatialised audio brings the dinosaurs to life as they roam throughout the forest.