the spiral-shaped 'museu da natureza' is set amid brazil's natural landscape

with devastating fires spreading across brazil’s amazon rainforest, a new museum is seeking to call attention to the country’s fragile environment and heritage. the spiral-shaped structure is located in northeast brazil’s serra da capivara national park, a UNESCO world heritage site that concentrates the largest number of archaeological sites in the world. officially titled the museu da natureza, or ‘museum of nature’, the new institution seeks to reveal and present millions of years of the earth’s history.

all images by joana frança

museu da natureza is a result of the efforts and work of one of the most important archaeologists in the country, niède guidon, who is now 86 years old. guidon and her team of specialists have been working in the region for more than four decades. the museum building was designed by elizabete de fátima buco paulino, with dell’agnese arquitetos associados responsible for the adaptation of the spiral-shaped scheme to the site.

internally, 12 exhibition rooms offer audiovisual installations, experiences of virtual reality, 3D animations, replicas, and fossils of prehistoric animals. the exhibits recall the story of the origin of the universe and the effects that climate change is having on our fauna and flora. visitors are invited to think about the role played by humanity in the future of life on earth.

‘climate is the great storyteller in the history of nature. whenever it changes, everything around changes as well,’ says marcello dantas, the museum’s curator. ‘climate defines our existence and the life on planet, based on this we tell the story of times before the history of humanity.’ thanks to the efforts of its president and director, niède guidon, the project was created by the fundação museu do homem americano and with resources from BNDES (the national bank for economic and social development).

visitors can simulate hang-gliding in this virtual reality installation featuring an aerial view of serra da capivara
video by leandro lima

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project info:

name: museu da natureza
location: serra da capivara national park, brazil
design architect: elizabete de fátima buco paulino
executive architect: dell’agnese arquitetos associados
curator: marcello dantas