Jul
14
2025
This month, the Ideum team has been on-site at Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico for the installation of their new interactive exhibit. The project brings the history of the dormant supervolcano that erupted 1.2 million years ago to life. Building on months of preparation and collaboration, this phase of the project marks an exciting moment in the transformation of the ranger station of the national preserve.
The Ideum team has been working on this exhibit since October 2024. The project started with an exhibit design phase, in which Ideum collaborated closely with the Valles Caldera team to design an immersive digital experience that’s engaging for visitors of all ages. From design, the project progressed into the fabrication of the exhibition.
Ideum’s exhibit fabrication team created the CNC topographic relief map model, exhibit base, and screen mounts entirely in-house. The design process took months of close collaboration to get to a successful end product. The floating screen mounts were a particularly fun engineering challenge - the end result is a low-profile hidden mount meant to fade away into the table. The mount is tied off to the center ring of the exhibit, allowing for structural rigidity and strength even under the weight of visitors leaning or hanging on the screen.
The topographic relief map, spanning 12’ in diameter, was fabricated in sections using 3D milling operations on the CNC. The pieces were trimmed to the outer diameter of the circle and glued together to form a full circle. The map was then cut apart into five organic shapes that follow the natural landscapes of the Valles Caldera. This was done in order to better conceal the seams of the model once on site. The Volcano Discovery Center has standard-width doorways, so none of the pieces could exceed the diagonal dimension of the doorway. Once on site, the map was seamed together with silicone and repainted - ready to receive projection!
Audiovisual technology designed to fully immerse visitors in the park’s rich natural and cultural history surrounds the central exhibit. A 13,000-lumen 4K projector brings the twelve-foot topographic map to life with animations ranging from the geologic formation of the caldera to cultural stories that reflect centuries of human land use. Further enhancing the user experience is a 6.1 surround sound system and synchronized DMX lighting washes on the nearby walls.
Visitors can interact with the exhibit and activate projected animations using one of the four Ideum 34" Presenter touch screen displays mounted along the edge of the table. Each display introduces a unique collection of stories organized into four themes: Geology, Ecology, Cultural History, and Scientific Discovery.
Beyond this landmark exhibit, Ideum collaborated with Valles Caldera to develop two digital docent systems that run on 86" and 65" Ideum Presenter displays. These interactive systems allow guests to explore detailed park maps, read FAQs, check real-time alerts, and even access a live seismograph feed from within the park.
The grand opening of the Volcano Discovery Center and its new exhibits will take place on July 25, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Valles Caldera National Preserve. For full event details and a schedule of activities, please visit the National Park Service's Valles Caldera 25th Anniversary page.
Happy Golden Birthday, Valles Caldera National Preserve!
