The aim of the design approach is to create a Mývatn Visitor Center that is both a tourist destination and a resource for local communities. It recognises that local visitors and tourists from further afield may have slightly different needs and interests when visiting, and may interact in different ways. The content for the future exhibition is a complex web of relationships. In order to make the narrative coherent, accessible and engaging its has been structured in a way where the central force fosters a sense of awe and wonder that leads to a desire to protect the environment. Each theme includes stories of both geology and biology and the coexistence man and nature; stories of research and nature conservation run as a thread throughout. The proposal seeks to create a landscape through the exhibition rooms which holds multiple stories and themes, reinstating the interconnectedness of the content. Visitors will be able to weave in and out of the landscape and view the same models, specimens, drawings etc. from different perspectives. Additional content specifically relating to the perspective from which the visitor is looking (i.e research, conservation community etc.) will enrich the experience. Bringing together the idea of a low level landscape that is rich in texture the exhibition has been set out in a way that encourages visitors to explore, experience things from different views, through a range of knowledge systems and via different perspectives and to enable visitors to make connections between the various themes of the narrative that are so inherently interlinked. One of the main goals of the design is to make the exhibition engaging for all ages. Play is a powerful tool for learning and it is important to make a playful space where younger visitors can explore, touch, experiment and engage in a multi-sensory way. Engagement with both an exhibition and the landscape beyond can be more much more rewarding when people are able to explore something in a physically active way. When people have the opportunity ‘to do’, to touch, find, climb, play, talk and build, the exploration becomes more memorable and enjoyable.

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