With the "Virtual Reality Glacier Experience", the Graubündner Kantonalbank has opened a visitor center in Pontresina that has never been seen before: a virtual journey through time into the world of glaciers and water, based on data from the latest Swiss climate scenarios.
The interactive exhibition in the Upper Engadine aims to draw attention to the effects of climate change and offers an impressive virtual journey through time around the Morteratsch Glacier. Like almost all glaciers of its kind, the Alpine glacier from the Bernina Group is threatened by massive shrinkage due to global warming; scientists estimate that it lost around 2,500 meters in volume between 1900 and 2017.
The scientifically based "VR Glacier Experience" exhibition was made possible by close collaboration with the Zurich University of the Arts, whose "Knowledge Visualization" department specializes in visual knowledge transfer, and the University of Fribourg with its Department of Geosciences, which is regarded as a leading
Swiss institution in cryosphere research. Both universities carried out innovative work in the fields of design, technology and multimedia by developing detailed models of the Morteratsch Glacier over a period of two years and creating them as a virtual world.
In the interactive exhibition space created as part of the 150th anniversary project #gkb2020 , visitors can now find out interesting facts about glacier melt and climate-related changes in the high mountains on around 250 square meters: at seven virtual reality stations, they can experience what the scenarios are likely to look like in the future; information boards and exhibits also provide information on the topic.
The exhibitors are of course currently complying with the hygiene regulations of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, disinfectants are available at various locations in the premises and disposable eye masks are available for the VR glasses. Click here for the latest information for visitors.