Recently I had been seeing video after video about the new BBC Earth Experience that had opened up in London. This immersive experience was supposed to transport you into the world of a David Attenborough episode, surrounding you with the incredible nature our world has to offer. I had heard nothing but good things about this installation, created as part of Earls Court new development, and so this Saturday decided to check it out.
The day was beautiful and the sun brought out the magic of the yellow floral tapestry that welcomes you as you enter the park. It was wonderful to watch as children spotted ladybirds among the huge three-dimensional flowers that covered the walls. After taking plenty of pictures in the sun, we headed into the purpose-built hall.
As we headed in, I filled up my water bottle with the free refill station – there were so many hidden nods to saving our planet throughout, this being a display that told you how many plastic bottles had not ended up in our oceans due to refilling reusable bottles.
Then it was time to go into the main hall. I cannot describe how overpowering the whole experience was, from the point of entry to leaving the gift shop it was incredible. As you walk into the room walls of images surround you, fulling immersing you in the natural world. As I walked in, there were meerkats perched on rocks, running around the room. The incredible detail in which they were shown let you see things that the television doesn’t quite capture; I especially noticed how their features were so characteristic.
The experience lasts for about an hour before looping back to the beginning of the tape, but you are welcome to stay for as long as you wish. One moment that really struck me was watching the screen flooded with hoards of penguins looking up and the sky and noticing the parallel between them and the hundreds of people looking up at the walls around them. It was almost as if we blended in. I loved this so much that I made sure to stick around for when it happened the second time.
The hour was divided into continents, allowing you to see parts of each that you never would have expected to. We saw volcanoes in Antarctica and snow falling on kangaroos in Australia. It was truly a unique viewpoint.
As we sat there were hushed voices of children asking parents the names of animals and couples gasping at the view. But there were two moments when the room was entirely silent. Between each continent there was a shot of the earth surrounded by stars and the whole room hushed as we were placed in darkness, only lit by the stars and our world. The other was when David Attenborough’s voice filled the air, telling us about what we were seeing and how important it was to take care of our world if we wanted to continue to see such wonders.
I honestly could have taken a nap with the combination of the sensory deprivation of the dark room and the lullaby like voice that filled the room.
As well as the main, immersive room, there were a couple of side rooms known as “water life” and “micro life”. In the water section there were a few interactive screens, using motion sensors to allow you to move water and fish around with your body. This was a hit with parents whose children were becoming restless and, I’ll be honest, with me. The micro life was a slightly creepy room filled with lots of little screens showing insanely detailed clips of various tiny bugs and creatures. There was also a section dauntingly called “enter if you dare” but as someone not afraid of spiders, I found the large screen with their eight shiny eyes blinking out strangely adorable.
When you can finally drag yourself out of there, convincing yourself that you cannot stay forever, there are a short series of photographs showing the process of making the exhibition possible. At 96, Attenborough is still seen standing next to rhinos and in Antarctic conditions. His work is so very inspirational, and this exhibition allows to you see just a fragment of what it must be like to experience these wonders in person.
At the end, as you walk out, there is a huge globe that shows the destruction we may cause if we are not careful. As a final reminder, Attenborough’s voice tells us that in order to keep things such as the amazing beauties we have just witnessed, we must work together. It was quite overwhelming, and I even saw a woman shed a tear. It was terrifying to think that it is entirely possible that we may lose all of these things if we are not careful.
With this exhibition being just a 25-minute tube ride from London Kings Cross and a 25 minute walk from Kensington High Street, it makes the perfect start to a day out. Become immersed in the beauty of our world and then explore the shops and cafes of London at your leisure. Or don’t, it’s up to you. I will just say that it was one of the most amazing things I have done in quite a while.
Also, who doesn’t love a bit of David?