This is an interactive exhibition, which results from a collaboration among mischer’traxler studio, the Naturmuseum Südtirol, and the Embodied Data Lab. The exhibition invites visitors to explore what has been lost, what remains, and what is changing in the regional flora and fauna. We focused on biodiversity loss because it is a critical environmental issue that is difficult to communicate, as its effects are not visible within one lifetime, a phenomenon known as the “shifting baseline syndrome.”

Starting from the archive of the Naturmuseum of Bolzano, key extinct and endangered animals and plants in South Tyrol have been identified. These have been digitised using 3D-scans and photogrammetry. AI models helped reconstruct fragile specimens as plants, and digitized them using 3D printers.

The data from the museum’s archive provide the ground for the interactive exhibition development and evaluation as an artefact about the territory. By situating this exhibition within a museum, we create a space for dialogue among locals and tourists allowing visitors to engage with narratives that cultivate sensitivities and foster a collective responsibility towards natural heritage.