Reviving Dinosaurs: A Fresh Perspective on Evolution

AMNH 3D Design Team's Award-Winning Exhibition, Dinosaurs Among Us

The exhibition, housed in a 6,500 square foot gallery with 16-foot ceilings, was designed to be easily altered for travel to other spaces. It was inspired by major advancements in comparative biology over the past two years, which have rendered the link between dinosaurs and birds practically obsolete. The AMNH 3D Design Team sought to share these findings with the public, creating a show rich with specimens from the Museum’s collection, many of which had never been seen before. These objects were juxtaposed with large, detailed models of dinosaurs, allowing visitors to compare the evidence themselves.

What sets Dinosaurs Among Us apart from other exhibitions is its unique approach to the subject matter. The exhibition reveals that dinosaurs are not so extinct after all, with recent research showing that their evolutionary legacy lives on in birds. The exhibition features bold colors, quirky quadrilateral shapes, and plentiful interactives that contrast against the realistic dinosaur models and authentic fossils, creating a striking, thought-provoking environment.

The realization of this design involved a combination of traditional and digital techniques. The large, quadrilateral panels throughout the exhibition were made with foam core and digitally printed fabric. Nearly everything, including the climbable nest and the catwalk, was fabricated in-house. The dinosaur models were created with metal frames, cast molds, fiberglass, and paper maché. The dinosaurs’ feathers, an important scientific discovery, were purchased quills that were then painted.

The exhibition was designed to be interactive and engaging. Upon entering, visitors were introduced to the revolutionary discovery of dinosaurs’ living descendants by a short video. The large central catwalk, which divided the main space in half, hosted many dinosaur models. Brightly colored linear shapes extended from the catwalk to sections along the walls, which delved into aspects of the narrative, such as “Nests and Babies." The color scheme, derived from bird feathers, was bold and prominent, denoting cohesion between each creature and its unique narrative.

The project faced several challenges, including narrating the tale of evolution between dinosaurs and birds, who have millions of years of history, and arranging it into a clear, cohesive story. The solution was to use color as the guiding element, with bold-colored strips on the floor leading from the model to its section. The sections’ labels and background panel matched the floor strips to denote similar content. This color organization made the development process easier and more productive.

The exhibition was awarded Silver in the A' Event and Happening Design Award in 2017, a testament to its innovative design and the team's outstanding expertise and innovation. Dinosaurs Among Us is a shining example of how art, design, and technology can come together to create a unique, engaging, and educational experience.