Jurassic Oceans: Experiencing Rather Than Viewing
Moderate challenge
Most people visit museums to look at things.
Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep challenged me to do something different. It invited me to slow down, engage with the space and experience it.
As somebody with sight loss, museums can sometimes be frustrating places. Beautiful objects sit behind glass. Information is printed in small text. Crowds gather around the most interesting displays.
Jurassic Oceans felt different.
Why I Wanted to Go
I’ve visited the Natural History Museum many times over the years and know the building well. Even so, every new exhibition brings its own challenges.
The museum itself is enormous. For first-time visitors, simply finding where you need to be can feel daunting. Add in thousands of visitors, families, school groups and tourists all moving in different directions and it can quickly become overwhelming.
As soon as I stepped inside, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical museum experience.
A Space Designed to Immerse You
The exhibition is deliberately atmospheric. The lighting is low. The walls are dark blue. Ambient sounds play throughout the galleries. Large marine reptiles move across projections and displays.
At times it feels less like a museum and more like stepping into an underwater world.
That immersion is one of the exhibition’s greatest strengths. It’s also one of its biggest challenges.
The dark lighting meant I had to move more slowly than usual. The exhibition winds through a series of spaces rather than following a perfectly straight path, and there were moments when I had to stop, let my eyes adjust and work out which way I was supposed to go next.
The temptation was to rush through. Instead, I realised I needed to do the opposite.
Slowing Down and Letting My Eyes Adjust
The biggest challenge wasn’t finding the exhibition. It wasn’t reading the labels. It wasn’t even navigating the space. The biggest challenge was slowing down.
When I find myself in an unfamiliar environment, particularly one with low lighting and lots of people moving around, my instinct is often to get through it as efficiently as possible. Jurassic Oceans rewarded a different approach.
The more time I spent in each room, the more details I noticed. The more I stopped, the more immersed I became.
The challenge wasn’t overcoming the environment. The challenge was allowing myself to experience it.
Slowing Down to Experience It
There was a moment early on when I realised I was trying to move through the exhibition too quickly. The lighting was dark. People were moving around me. The route wasn’t immediately obvious.
I found myself focusing entirely on navigation rather than the exhibition itself. So I stopped. I let my eyes adjust. I listened to the soundscape. I took my time.
The experience immediately became richer. What had felt slightly disorientating suddenly felt immersive.
Experiencing Rather Than Viewing
What impressed me most about Jurassic Oceans was that it wasn’t purely visual. Rather than simply looking at objects, I was able to interact with them. It allowed me to experience the exhibition rather than simply view it.
The Giant Plesiosaur
Every good exhibition has a showstopper. For me, it was the enormous plesiosaur suspended in the centre of the gallery. The skeleton appears almost as though it is still swimming through the water.
It’s huge. It’s dramatic. And it immediately captures your imagination.
Standing beneath it, I found myself wondering what it would have been like to encounter a creature like that in the ocean. Part of me would have loved to see it. Another part of me is very glad I never had to.
Touching the Past
One of my favourite moments came while exploring one of the tactile displays. Being able to touch a giant ammonite and feel the details of a specimen that is millions of years old creates a connection that simply isn’t possible through a display case.
For many visitors this is an interesting addition. For me it fundamentally changed the experience. Touch adds scale. Texture. Presence.
It transforms something from an object into an encounter.
Crowds and Navigation
If there is one thing visitors should prepare for, it’s the number of people. The Natural History Museum is one of the most popular attractions in the country and it can be extremely busy.
Large crowds can make navigation more difficult, particularly when people stop suddenly, gather around displays or sit down to rest. I often become more disorientated when there is lots of movement around me, and I found myself needing to pay close attention to where people were stopping and changing direction.
How I Prepared — Practical Tips
- Visit later in the day when possible.
- Allow plenty of time rather than rushing.
- Use the large print and accessibility resources available.
- Take regular pauses to let your eyes adjust to the lighting.
- Accept that slowing down is part of the experience.
Accessibility Checklist
- Step-free exhibition on one level.
- Large print guide available.
- Audio guide available.
- Visual guide available.
- Touchable exhibits throughout.
- Seating throughout the exhibition.
- Folding chairs available to borrow.
- Free companion ticket available.
- Quieter final room available as a break space.
Two things to be aware of: the lighting is low throughout, and it can become crowded and occasionally difficult to navigate.
Score the experience, not just the access.
Transport, parking, signage, crowds, orientation.
Queues, ticket checks, security, first noise and lighting.
Lighting, sound, predictability, space to take a break.
Pathways, surfaces, ramps, signage, resting areas.
Sightlines, distance from action, atmosphere, audio clarity.
Clarity, respect, knowledge of access needs, consistency.
Pride, learning, joy inside difficulty. Would you go again?
Small wins, kindnesses, overall meaningfulness.
Final Reflection
The best exhibitions don’t just show you something. They make you feel something. Jurassic Oceans did exactly that.
The darkness, the soundscape, the tactile exhibits and the giant marine reptiles combined to create something that felt less like a museum display and more like stepping into another world.
The challenge wasn’t finding the exhibition. It wasn’t even navigating it. The real challenge was slowing down enough to let it work.
In a world that encourages us to rush from one thing to the next, Jurassic Oceans rewarded patience. It didn’t just allow me to view the exhibition. It allowed me to experience it.
Discover more from goanyway.uk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.