Mondes disparus

“Lost Worlds” presents itself as an immersive expedition where cutting-edge technology meets scientific rigor. Designed as a co-production between Excurio and the National Museum of Natural History, the experience invites visitors to live a collaborative virtual reality sequence – boarding followed by an expedition – to trace the major milestones of the planet’s evolution.

Practically, the exhibition is open to the public from July 6, 2024 to December 31, 2024 and takes place in ECLIPSO Paris’s spaces, in the heart of Bercy Village (45 rue des Pirogues de Bercy, 75012 Paris). The announced duration of the experience is about one hour total: 15 minutes of boarding then 45 minutes of immersive expedition.

It is intended for the general public and families (recommended age: from 8 years old). Regular opening hours stated are: Monday–Friday 2 PM–8 PM, Saturday 10 AM–9 PM, Sunday 10 AM–8 PM, with extended hours during school periods and summer (Monday–Friday 10 AM–9 PM).

Prices start at €25 and vary depending on the time slot (range indicated: €25–32). Online reservation is recommended and slots are limited.

Access is simple from central Paris: metro line 14 (Cour Saint-Émilion station, about 100 m), bus lines 109 and 111; paid parking is signposted at rue des Pirogues de Bercy (14). For any information, ECLIPSO Paris provides the contact phone +33 1 85 73 37 93.

The venue also indicates accessibility for people with reduced mobility, recommending to check specific needs before the visit. Why go?

Because “Lost Worlds” succeeds at the dual challenge of being both a spectacular experience – made smooth and impressive by recent VR installations – and a journey supported by scientific references.

It’s an ideal outing for families or friends to feel, for an hour, the dizzying depth of geological time without leaving Paris, in the pleasant and accessible setting of Bercy Village.

The Lost Worlds exhibition offers a deep immersion into Earth’s and life’s history, spanning 3.5 billion years through a collaborative virtual reality experience. This immersive expedition aims to transport visitors across the major stages of planetary evolution, combining entertainment with scientific rigor.

Designed in close collaboration between Excurio and the National Museum of Natural History, the experience benefits from the expertise of paleontologists, paleobotanists, evolution specialists, and bioacousticians, ensuring the accuracy of graphic and sound reconstructions. The journey begins in the Archean era, 3.5 billion years ago, where the first forms of life emerged in primitive oceans.

Participants, equipped with virtual reality headsets, then travel forward in time to the Cambrian, 520 million years ago, to witness the rise of animal life and swim alongside creatures like trilobites. The voyage continues through varied paleo-landscapes, allowing exploration of the lush Carboniferous forests, inhabited by giant insects and plants.

The golden ages of dinosaurs, the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, are also a highlight, offering the chance to approach a majestic diplodocus and face a formidable tyrannosaurus. The immersive expedition concludes in the Pleistocene, where visitors encounter Homo floresiensis, a human species extinct about 60,000 years ago, inviting reflection on humanity’s origins.

The experience often ends with a return to the present or to the year 2223, emphasizing the fragility of our world and potential future changes. Throughout this 45-minute free-movement journey within dedicated spaces up to 2000 m², visitors are accompanied by a virtual guide, the young researcher Charlie, and her little robot Darwin.

The referenced works here are the immersive reconstructions themselves: the unfolding paleo-landscapes, the presence of more than 120 animal species and about a hundred plants, such as arthropods, giant insects, pteranodons, as well as iconic diplodocus and tyrannosaurs.

The sound aspect, designed by bioacousticians, and the graphic environments, realistic and aesthetically striking, help create a total immersion that awakens both the senses and the intellect. The goal is to enable the public to understand the stakes of life’s evolution while experiencing moments of wonder.