Museum: Telling a story through unique design

Dunbar Cave State Park

The Challenge:

• To tell the story of Dunbar Cave using text, video, artifacts, and samples
• To update the existing display to something far more engaging
• To develop an educational experience for children and adults
• To show a basic overview of the formation, biology and historical impact of Dunbar Cave
• To highlight the impact country music icon Roy Acuff had on the cave
• To create the atmosphere of being inside the cave

The Solution:

We wanted visitors to feel like they were inside the cave by designing the entrance to look like the cave itself.  We entered the cave and performed a very accurate LiDar scan of the main room which is referred to as Independence Hall.
We also integrated the original steel gate into the entrance and used 3D modeling techniques to render a large panorama of Independence Hall, which was printed as a large mural and backdrop for the exhibit.

We fabricated 2 life-sized stalagmites/stalagmites, to give visitors a 3-dimensional example of the formation and developed 5 short videos explaining the biology, geology, and formation of Dunbar Cave designed and fabricated museum cases to hold the artifacts and tell the story of early settlers and the prehistoric use of Dunbar Cave.

In order to add the celebrated country music star Roy Acuff, who played a major role in the history of the cave, we designed and fabricated a multimedia diorama
The Roy Acuff diorama included a short video highlighting the use of the cave as a music venue during the 1940s and 50s, where many prominent country music singers came to perform. The video also controlled the lighting and music, illuminating a sculpture of Roy Acuff at the cave.

Overall the exhibit told the entire history of Dunbar Cave, while also educating visitors on the importance of all caves for their biodiversity and impact on water quality.