MHNG - Musée d'histoire naturelle de Genève

Évolution is conceived as a single, continuous thematic journey that redeploys three major types of collections: mineralogy, paleontology, and archaeozoology. The project explores the major transformations of the Universe, the Earth, life, and humanity. Conceived as a dynamic and evolving project, the exhibition invites visitors to reposition themselves within deep time and to question their place in the world. The scenographic concept is based on the geological metaphor of lines and strata—figures that are both scientific and aesthetic—to make the red thread of time legible. This is materialized in space through a simple and intuitive unit: 1 m² equals 67 million years, transforming time into surface and into a physical journey. Visitors follow a looped itinerary structured into three major phases. The first, immersive and poetic, combines a large landscape diorama with a monumental chronological frieze tracing the “History of Everything” and the emergence of humanity. The second phase, set within a spectacular volume, is dedicated to Life and Evolution, featuring the Tree of Life, a circular installation bringing together nearly 300 specimens, and a historical relief map of Switzerland animated through projection mapping. The final phase offers a contemplative and contemporary interpretation of mineralogy, through a monumental wall of display cases in dialogue with the chronology of mineral evolution, complemented by playful and transdisciplinary thematic portals. Placing the collections at the heart of the project, the scenography multiplies modes of display, levels of interpretation, and visitor postures, offering an experience that is at once scientific, sensory, and memorable.