Meet Bèr
Natural History Museum Maastricht, Maastricht (NL), 2024
A legendary mosasaur once swam in the place where Maastricht stands today. In an immersive experience, visitors can meet this enormous animal and the scientists studying him.
Photos: Raoul Limpens
Our Bèr
In 1998, in the ENCI quarry on the bank of the Maas in Limburg, researchers discovered the fossil remains of a gigantic prehistoric mosasaur. The creature was nicknamed Bèr. Ever since, Bèr’s skeletal remains have been on display at the Natural History Museum of Maastricht, along with the rest of the mosasaur collection.
Encounters
Thanks to years of research, scientists know more than ever about mosasaurs. So the museum was inspired to create a new introductory experience and bring Bèr’s story to life. We developed the concept “Our Bèr: The only real Dutch dinosaur, which isn't actually a dinosaur”. The experience is all about encounters: visitors meet Bèr, the star of the show, plus the paleontologists and the museum’s other mosasaurs.
Video animation: Shosho
The world of the Cretaceous
We created an immersive introductory experience that plunges visitors into the world of the Cretaceous Period. The highlight is Bèr’s impressive 11-metre-long reconstructed skeleton, a joint project by Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Natural History Museum of Maastricht. Using 3D scans of Bèr and a closely related animal from Angola, Naturalis staff created a computer model of how the complete mosasaur must have looked. As visitors enter, they gaze straight into the maw of the giant. A large projection on the back wall brings Bèr and his underwater world to life.
Meet the scientists
Around the gallery, visitors can meet different scientists. At a variety of interactive information stations, they can find out what paleontologists do and why they’re fascinated by mosasaurs. Getting to know the experts, the Cretaceous Period, Bèr and the other mosasaurs gets visitors excited about the permanent exhibition and gives them an opportunity to fall in love with the iconic mosasaur.
Credits
Client
Natural History Museum MaastrichtContent design
Studio LouterGraphic design
Studio ScheffersSpatial design
Buro LoofPhotography and audio
Bas de Wal & Guy HoubenAnimation
Shosho
Press
EW Magazine — 24 August 2024
“The ‘Dutch dinosaur’ can be experienced as a 3D model in Maastricht.” (Dutch article)De Limburger — 18 August 2024
“Look Bèr straight in the mouth at the Mosasaurus Experience in the Natural History Museum Maastricht.” (Dutch article)NOS Nieuws — 13 August 2024
“Maastricht exhibits the skeleton of a 66-million-year-old Meuse lizard.” (Dutch article)L1 Nieuws — 13 August 2024
“Meet Bèr the Mosasaurus at full size in Maastricht.” (Dutch article)RTV Maastricht — 8 August 2024
“Massive 3D-printed Mosasaurus heads to Maastricht.” (Dutch article)