Inside Tumucumaque

Set in the Tumucumaque nature reserve in northwestern Brazil, the interactive experience leads into a clearing in the rainforest and opens up new perspectives. The rainforest is presented through the eyes of its inhabitants – the animals. Glide through the treetops as a harpy eagle, hunt in the rivers as a giant otter, or navigate the darkness as a bat scientifically grounded and staged immersively.

Through the project, the ecological interconnections that usually remain hidden become perceptible, and the Amazon’s crucial role for the global climate is made strikingly clear. Instead of abstract numbers, visitors directly experience the vulnerability and the fascination of this ecosystem. Scientific knowledge is transformed into a sensory encounter that sparks empathy and makes the protection of the rainforest a shared responsibility.

Inside Tumucumaque was created in close collaboration with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the digital staging artists of Artificial Rome. Its foundation lay in scientific data, field recordings, and observations from the world’s largest tropical rainforest, which were translated with great detail into sound, movement, and space. With hundreds of handcrafted models and original sound recordings, an experience was created that does not explain abstractly but makes emotionally tangible why the protection of tropical ecosystems is of global importance.

The project received Gold at the Red Dot Award 2018 (including the categories Interface & UX Design and Educational Illustration), Gold at the Art Directors Club Award 2019, and Gold at the Annual Multimedia Award 2019.

Its impact unfolded not only within expert circles but also in major museums: in 2018, the installation filled the atrium of ZKM Karlsruhe (The Art of Immersion III), and in 2019 it was presented at Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin.

International festivals such as VR Days Europe (now Immersive Tech Week) and the Silbersalz Festival also featured Inside Tumucumaque, making it accessible to broad audiences.

The project showed that immersive media go far beyond artistic expression: they can spark empathy, convey knowledge, and initiate dialogue on protecting the foundations of our natural world.