Life at the Limits: Celebrating the Extraordinary Adaptations of Animals

An Immersive Museum Exhibition by Michael Meister

When designing "Life at the Limits," Michael Meister and his team aimed to create an exhibition that would excite and ignite the curiosity of visitors. Drawing inspiration from past exhibitions that focused on unique and extreme animals, they decided to showcase a diverse array of creatures with extraordinary adaptations. The exhibition is a celebration of the resilience and ingenuity of these animals, providing visitors with a deeper understanding of the natural world.

The exhibition is housed in an 8,500 square foot gallery space with 16-foot ceilings. It features a combination of immersive design elements, including fabric, light, air blowers, double-sided projection, smelling stations, sound boards, touchable oversized models, live specimens, and motion-tracking games. The design team created intersecting panels, curved in a mobius shape, to represent the cycle of life and guide visitors through sections organized by life function.

The mobius strip panels, designed and fabricated in-house, are printed on acrylic substrates supported by metal plates anchored in wood fins. Warm and cool LED lights on dimmers illuminate the panels, creating an engaging and dynamic visual experience. The exhibition also includes meticulously crafted animal models based on museum specimens, constructed from fiberglass and resin with metal armatures.

Visitors begin their journey with an outside video and a title panel that introduce them to the exhibition's mascot, the tardigrade. The inner entrance features a film and seating area that acts as a transition, incorporating supersized models of the tardigrade. The exhibition proper flows along the continuous mobius strip panels, supplemented by vignettes that provide in-depth illustrations of specific animal stories. At the center of the exhibition is an immersive walk-in cave environment, inviting visitors to experience the habitats of these extraordinary creatures. The exhibition concludes with a thematic closure that ties back to the tardigrade, featuring more supersized models.

"Life at the Limits" opened at the American Museum of Natural History in April 2015 and will close in January 2016. It has been a resounding success, captivating visitors with its unique approach to showcasing the wonders of the natural world. The exhibition will continue its journey as a touring exhibition, spreading its message of resilience and adaptation to audiences around the world.

Michael Meister and his team have received numerous accolades for their exceptional design. "Life at the Limits" was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in 2016, recognizing its outstanding expertise, innovation, and artistic skill. This exhibition truly exemplifies the power of design to educate, inspire, and create a sense of wonder.