“Sahelanthropus tchadensis skull “
xlr8 is a Toronto based design firm that specializes in developing content through visual experiences and media environments for cultural institutions, museums, and broadcast. They work with clients to develop effective ways to connect audiences to ideas and information.
xlr8 worked in collaboration with the Director of the Human Origins Program, Smithsonian, Dr. Richard Potts, to create digital representations of different human species, spanning back 7 million years. Along with the exhibit design team, xlr8 created a “time tunnel” experience at the main entrance to the gallery. The introductory animation allows visitors to be “transported” back in time, to meet some of their earliest human ancestors.
Our first project involved the reproduction of one of the earliest known human skulls to have been discovered. After intense collaboration between xlr8 and the Smithsonian team for the development of the digital skull, the tactual of Sahelanthropus tchadensis was completed and is considered the first Sahelanthropus model of its kind and accuracy to be exhibited worldwide. xlr8 was a consultant to the Toronto Exhibit Designers/Architects Reich and Petch Design International, who designed the permanent gallery.