This traveling exhibition, from 2002 to 2005, originally created for four museums in Canada, Holland, and Germany, revealed the latest scientific and historic discoveries concerning over 400 archaeological finds from the bogs of Northern Europe. The unique preservative properties of the bogs allowed them to effectively conserve all manner of objects, from cut out bones, pottery and precious jewellery to the actual mummified remains of six scarified Bog People, deposited there as offerings by the people living near them from the Mesolithic Period to the end of the 16th century.
In developing the concept and design, and overseeing manufacturing and installation, gsmprjctº had to make sure that the exhibition could be adapted to each city on the tour. The challenge was to develop a system that could be mounted and taken down in an efficient manner but that also looked like it was built for a one-time presentation.
Featuring imaginative audio-visual presentations, interactive techniques, and an atmospheric bog-like setting to provide visitors with a meaningful emotional experience while exploring research theories, the exhibition included a portion of an actual peat bog—with the reconstruction of a full-size temple above it—as its centrepiece. Squares of peat cut out of the bog provided room for fibre-optically lit, climate-controlled display cases containing mummies and other artefacts, along with key phrases and illustrations floating as virtual images within. The last area focused on scientific techniques and forensic analysis, and included MRI scans and facial reconstructions of two of the bog mummies.