SOLUTIONS: MAGIC CUBE VISITOR CENTRE, FOCE BEVANO NATURE RESERVE ITALY
Force of nature
Two multimedia installations are adding a new dimension to the visitor experience at a vast nature reserve, writes Mike Clark
[INSTALLED]
VIDEO BenQ MX816ST projectors BenQ SH910 projector
A multi-touch control monitor enables visitors to control their virtual journey underground in the Descent Tower
ITALY’S FOCE Bevano nature reserve is part of the Po Delta Park (the Emilia Romagna part of which alone covers an area of almost 130,000 acres). Its Magic Cube Visitor Centre is one of several centres run by the Po Delta Parks and Biodiversity Management Board and is the starting point for the numerous visits on foot, bike, canoe and horseback to the
park, which extends inland from the Adriatic coast. The centre recently
expanded its facilities, which include an information point, bookshop, food services, a barbeque zone and campsite. It is also possible to rent canoes, bikes and binoculars (numerous birdwatchers are attracted by the varied population). Also new are the Descent
Tower and the Talking Monolith – two high-impact multimedia installations by specialist system integration and software development firm IBR Sistemi of Genoa. The Descent Tower consists of a room with two 15ft-wide projections and a multi-touch control monitor which enables visitors to control their virtual journey underground, discovering the
stratigraphy of the earth below them. Visitors can choose the period and environment they wish to explore using the interactive selectors to decide the location and the period in time, as well as deciding the depth to be reached and how long they will stay there. Two of the room’s walls are covered by the projections,