Burpee Museum of Natural History

Homer’s Odyssey: From the Badlands to Burpee

Beirut, Lebanon

From the discovery and excavation of the first bones in Montana to the preparation and reconstruction of the fossils in the lab, the new Homer’s Odyssey exhibit at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois is the product of eight years of work. Since this was the first Triceratops bone bed ever found, the Museum had the opportunity to create an exciting exhibition that sheds light on this hot topic within the scientific community.

Xibitz, along with content developer, Dan Bartlett, was entrusted to develop the permanent exhibit to meet the museum’s objectives of being fun, as well as educational, and scientifically accurate. Xibitz created content that gives visitors glimpses into the biology and ecology of Homer’s day, over 66 million years ago, including a dynamic mount of the Triceratops Homer, a mural depicting life in the Cretaceous period by Paleo artist Michael Skrepnick, and thirteen skulls that demonstrate interspecies evolutionary relationships and species growth from baby to adult.

With the tremendous visual appeal, “Homer’s Odyssey” meets the museum’s goals of providing visitors of multiple age groups and varied learning styles opportunities for hands-on/ minds-on activities including tactile fossil samples and interactive flipbooks.

burpee museum natural history exhibition design fabrication xibitz
burpee museum natural history exhibition fabrication xibitz
burpee museum natural history exhibition fabrication xibitz
burpee museum natural history exhibition fabrication xibitz

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Perlan Museum Wonders of Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland

In 2016, Xibitz and Lord Cultural Resources were invited by Bowen Technovation to be a part of an international team tasked with re-imagining the iconic Perlan Museum in Reykjavik, which included a large-scale exhibition fabrication. Perlan has been transformed into an interactive and eye-catching museum, where tourists and fellow Icelanders are able to explore the unique natural history of Iceland, in addition to enjoying the wonderful architecture of the Perlan itself. Our exhibition work was undertaken in two phases. 

The 1st phase of the exhibit fabrication explores one of the most iconic features of Iceland — the nature of glaciers. A highly realistic replicated ice cave educates visitors on the dangers and secrets of Iceland’s glaciers, and how the disappearance of these vast bodies of ice is leading to enormous change both on the island and around the world. Other custom exhibits wow visitors with a 360-degree view atop Vatnajökull, the unusual life forms that live on it, its effect on the land, and what will happen if, or when, it disappears.

The 2nd phase explores Iceland’s ocean, coast, and land environments. Visitors can learn about their favorite aquatic fauna without having to get wet in a large, virtual fish tank. Experience an enormous lifelike replica of Látrabjarg, the site of one of the largest bird colonies on Earth. Or follow the 64 million years of geologic history and discover how volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, and geothermal activity continue to create one of the most unique environmental stories on the planet.

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