Press Release – World Bee Day

Press Release – World Bee Day

Pollinator Park

Step into a beautiful virtual reality about the ugly future we face 
without pollinating insects 

Albert Einstein allegedly once stated that without insects, mankind would survive for four years at best. A dramatic statement, but unfortunately, a very realistic one. Bees, bumblebees, hoverflies and other tiny species play a crucial role in securing the future of vital ecosystems and the survival of mankind. An important message to get across -especially on World Bee Day (May 20th)– and through the powerful medium of virtual reality.

Pollinator Park = a virtual wake-up call about the importance of pollinators

Europe 2050 – Following a cascade of ecological crises, our world has been deprived of healthy ecosystems and wealthy flora. Amidst this dystopian landscape lies a lavish green beacon of hope: Dr. Beatrice Kukac’s Pollinator Park -a futuristic farm, a safe haven for pollinating insects and an eye-opener for its visitors. 

Watch the Pollinator Park trailer.

Pollinator Park is a crossover between a zoo, theme park, an interactive museum and a crystal ball: fun, educational and emotionally engaging. As a park visitor in 2050, unravel the story of its founder Beatrice Kukac, try your hand at pollination, shop for groceries in a pollinator-deprived world, rediscover nature’s perfection and find out how you can help protect it in the real world.  

A European Commission initiative, Pollinator Park was created by Poppins & Wayne, a cross-disciplinary team of scientists, writers, creative technologists, artists and designed in collaboration with renowned ‘archiobiotect’ Vincent Callebaut. 

For scientific consultancy and in-situ implementation, the Commission teamed up with museumpartners Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (BE), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL) and Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona (ES).

Pollinator Park = available in 5 languages, in VR and in-browser

Aiming both for maximum immersion and maximus audience reach, Pollinator Park can be experienced in VR (Oculus Quest 1 and 2 + Oculus Rift) as well as in-browser (Chrome, Edge en Firefox). While initially launched only in English, World Bee Day marks the launch of 4 additional languages – Dutch, German, French and Spanish.

The role of Pollinator Park in the European Commission’s efforts regarding biodiversity 

As part of the EU Pollinators Initiative Pollinator Park focuses on awareness, community engagement and collaborations around wild pollinators and biodiversity. Supporting the European Green Deal efforts, it aims to shed a spotlight on urgent ecological crises and to contribute to an ambitious global agreement during the upcoming  Convention on Biological Diversity (CoP 15) later this year.

Links:

Oculus Quest Experience:
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3630788480370853/

Oculus Rift Experience:
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/3645455262217489/

PC/Mac in-browser Experience:
http://play.pollinatorpark.eu/

Information:
www.pollinatorpark.eu

Media assets:

Credits:

Concept & creation: Poppins & Wayne
Project owner: European Commission
Architecture: Vincent Callebaut Architectures
Concept art: Bart Lommelen
Music: Stijn Cole
Produced by: Cousteau Studio & ESN

Contact

For additional information on the web & VR-experience, visual assets or interviews, please contact: 

Poppins & Wayne
yasmin@poppinswayne.com
+32 476 21 09 66

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