This summer has seen the Natural History Museum open the doors to its first-ever immersive experience – Our Story with David Attenborough.
Staged in the iconic Jerwood Gallery, this landmark exhibition invites visitors on a spectacular 360-degree journey through the intertwined histories of humanity and the Earth. Narrated by Sir David himself and produced by Open Planet Studios, the experience blends projection-mapped visuals, cinematic storytelling and immersive surround sound to explore how our shared story with the planet has unfolded – and what comes next.
The project was led by Open Planet Studios – the production house behind some of Sir David Attenborough’s most impactful environmental films, including Ocean (Disney+) and A Life On Our Planet (Netflix). To help shape the creative vision and deliver the technical execution, Open Planet brought in Bild Studios as principal contractor. Bild supported early project ideation and oversaw the integration of all production elements, with Luke Halls Studio appointed to lead on video content design.
The 50-minute show transforms the gallery into a fully enveloping storytelling environment using 17 Epson projectors, 50 speakers and five projection-mapped surfaces spanning all four walls and the floor. It combines real-world footage, high-resolution animation and an original score by composer Nick Powell to deliver a message of urgency, hope and environmental responsibility.
Hive was selected by Bild Studios to provide the technology platform to drive the entire visual system. The content, rendered at 8K H.265 10-bit and played back at 800 Mbps, demanded media processing power and playback stability. The Hive system 17 Beeblade Pluto media engines, housed within a single Nucleus chassis and one Beehive rackmount enclosure. This setup enabled HIVE to sample large-format media directly from a centralised master file, streamlining content workflows while maintaining maximum resolution and creative flexibility.
The project was delivered in collaboration with AV distributor Midwich and its specialist display division PSCo, who supplied the Hive media servers, with AED supplying the Epson projection system.
top and middle image: Trustees of the Natural History Museum
other image: Open Planet Studios, Photographer - Gavin Thurston