Dinosarus in Time

Melbourne Museum, Melbourne

Dinosaurs in Time describes the evolution of life on Earth as revealed by the scientific interpretation of fossil records. A key challenge in designing this exhibition was the enormous sense of scale: of the skeleton casts, of the building volume, and of the breadth of time represented. An ascending curved exhibition wall represents a timeline of life from 4.5 billion years ago to 2 million years ago. Openings within this wall contain smaller spaces through which the visitor can enter. These spaces focus on fundamental stages in evolution through the display of fossils, both within showcases and on open display, and via graphics, soundscapes and multimedia. A large-format moving projection onto the massive curved gallery wall representing the concept of time provides a constant backdrop to the more detailed exhibits. Coordinated with the projection, dramatic lighting effects emphasise the forms of the centrally exhibited dinosaur skeletons.