Journey to the Holocene lets visitors cross time to interact with mastodons in a deeply immersive VR museum encounter.
A project by Noah Wendt, Omid Ameri, Milena Malova, and Stella Campana
3. Semester, 2025
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Gabler and Prof. Philip Hausmeier
Augmented and Virtual Reality Design
Journey to the Holocene is a VR experience created to dissolve the barrier between museumgoers and the ancient past. Designed for the Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt, this immersive project allows users to step through an artificial cave into a virtual world, bringing them face to face with the extinct Mammut Americanus, the American mastodon.
The adventure begins in a dim cave where users meet a mystical shaman. After aiding in the brewing of a magical potion, the user drinks it and is transported to the Holocene epoch. Guided by the shaman—now in the form of an eagle—they explore a boreal forest teeming with ancient flora and fauna, culminating in a close encounter with a herd of mastodons.
Users earn the trust of the gentle giants by feeding them, only to find danger approaching in the form of prehistoric hunters. In a daring escape, the user rides a mastodon across a river, successfully evading the pursuers and saving the herd. The spell fades, and the user is returned to the original cave, where the shaman offers a parting gift—a small trinket symbolizing the journey.
Upon exiting the experience, visitors receive the same physical trinket handed to them in the virtual world—bridging the gap between reality and simulation. Proposed to be placed next to the actual exhibit, this interactive installation transforms passive action into a memorable connection with prehistory.
