Tactile exhibitions and interactive design bring the prehistoric firmly into the present.
Gibson International won a global design competition for the production of the NZ$30 million interpretative centre, Le Paléosite (Centre for Neanderthal Man), that aimed to make the complex world of scientists accessible to all.
Le Paléosite is an interpretive museum that alternates between high-impact immersive theatres and innovative multi-sensory interactive displays and exhibits. Children and adults can also have a more personalised experience through a ‘smart’ entry ticket which customises a visit according to their details.
Gibson International produced, in collaboration with the College de France, University of Bordeaux and the National History Museums of London and New York, the entire Le Paléosite museum, including the final installation. The project combines a popularist approach to storytelling within a scientific and educational framework.
Our role
- Museum consultants
- Stakeholder and cultural engagement
- Experience design
- Spatial design
- Content producers
- Interactive design
- Exhibition design
- Fabrication and installation
- Ongoing site support and maintenance
An archeological detective mission
Le Paléosite (Centre for Neanderthal Man) is a two-hectare interpretative centre situated at the site of an important discovery of Neanderthal remains in St-Césaire. The visitor attraction offers a unique experience that combines the real world and the imagination, and that has consistently broken its projected visitor targets.
This timed and ticketed immersive experience centres around ‘Pierrette’, the young female Neanderthal whose remains were discovered near the museum itself. Visitors travel sequentially through nine spaces on an archaeological detective mission about her personal life and evolutionary context while exploring and interpreting other artefacts.
Gibson International collaborated with
College de France (FR), University of Bordeaux (FR), National History Museum of London (UK), National History Museum of New York (US)
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