Idaho State Museum sets the visitor experience alight with an award-winning show-stopping recreation of the past.
Download ProfileThe Idaho State Museum closed its doors for four years to totally rethink the way it could tell the State’s history. Idaho is a big state, with many stories to tell and a history with massive WOW moments. The team recognized that the traditional ‘stop, walk and read’ museum was no longer appropriate. They had to take a different approach — one that would engage the audience and create a memorable experience that could bring the past to life.
That was quite a challenge when it came to recreating major events like the mining boom or one of the most devastating forest fires in US history. How do you help visitors navigate the wilderness or understand the culture of the Native American tribes? How to explain the profound relationship between the land and the people who shaped it over time? The challenge was to make that story relevant to the digital generation.
Brought onto the project by Richard Lewis Media Group (RLMG) Electrosonic was tasked with supporting forty six individual multimedia exhibits to engage the audience with innovative storytelling solutions. Visitors connect to a multimedia map and river guiding them through the experience. They recreate real mining explosions, hear voices from the past round a virtual campfire or ride a bike through historic neighborhoods. And the showstopper, an immersive 4D wraparound recreation of the ‘Big Burn’ that turns the gallery into a burning forest.
The Idaho State Museum has been transformed into a fun, interactive experience where people of all ages and backgrounds can explore the story of Idaho. The museum’s efforts have been recognized with a prestigious MUSE award for the Big Burn exhibit. MUSE awards are presented to institutions that enhance the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) experience and engage audiences with useful and innovative digital programs and services.
Visitors enjoy the tranquillity of the forest till suddenly they’re surrounded by blazing trees in a truly immersive 4D experience.
