"Cave Lakes Information Center. It is a permanent exhibition designed following the principles of modern museology."

 

Subject of the facility.

The Cave of the Lakes is widely approached as a geological landform, as an archaeological and palaeontological site, and as a landmark of research, exploration and touristic promotion. But mainly, the approach highlights the cave as part of the natural environment of the Helmos-Vouraikos Geopark, with which the former interacts and evolves throughout the last several million years.
The Cave of the Lakes is a natural monument and its features are studied by different sciences as well as sub-sections of them, such as geology, speleology, palaeontology, archaeology, palaeoanthropology, botany and zoology. The goal of this exhibition is to facilitate from one point, the comprehension of the interaction between the natural elements (biotic and abiotic) and from another one, the balanced co-existence that human should have with nature. In that way, we will be able to promote the sustainable development of the local landscape as well as the cooperation between the local stakeholders and the scientific community.
The museography design and the internal lighting management of the exhibition configures not just an attractive museum, but a space perfectly harmonized with the exhibition’s narration. The exhibition tour combines the alternating information with the alternations of lighting as well as augmented reality techniques, in continuous interaction with the cave.


Design, management, and application of lighting
The development of the exhibition is carried out with multiple supervisory media to which a variety of lighting techniques is applied, ranging from the usual exhibition lighting to the integration of light projectors, enhancing the multidimensional exhibition environment.

• Hetero-luminated and self-illuminated surfaces. Configuration of places with different styles: a) with targeted, focused-point source lighting, b) with diffused lighting through surfaces with internal lighting sources and c) with digital projection system lighting.
• Static and moving image. Static graphic compositions, self-illuminated or hetero-luminated, are alternating with digital projections. The exhibition environment is enhanced by the use of digital projections, either repeating or interactive, which provide an interacting experience to the visitor with the center’s space.
• Spatial Augmented Reality. Application of the artificial and spatial augmented reality (SAR). It is about augmented reality (AR) that involves the projection of digital objects or images with the use of innovative projection systems, on surfaces of the real world in order to enhance the user's experience as well as its interaction with the real environment and the exhibits.

In the exhibition of the Information Center of the Cave of the Lakes, the combination of the interactive projections and the exhibition’s lighting creates a unique immersive environment, where the changing atmosphere attracts the visitors and their interest. In addition, the provision of audio and visual descriptions creates more accessible experiences, stimulating multiple senses, thus making the museum spaces more accessible and attractive to visitors with physical disabilities.

Innovation/ originality
In the new permanent exhibition of the Cave of the Lakes:

• the features and stories of the cave are developed through multiple visual means.
• a variety of light sources are used, integrating digital projections in order to enhance and augment the exhibition environment.
• artificial intelligence techniques and machine-vision algorithms are applied for interaction of the exhibition space with visitors.
• high-level technology is used, providing ancillary support.
• the digital projections are designed conceptually, spatially and graphically and are programmed as well as installed appropriately, in order to form an integral part of the exhibition, fully integrated into the exhibition narrative.
• The exhibition experience is multi-sensory and accessible to all, with the visitor participation in the exhibition narrative.