dan pearlman, a leading brand and experience architecture group, has worked in partnership with scientific institutions to bring the second edition of Polar Experience to OBEX Oberhausen, Germany, on behalf of Climate Education GmbH (ClimateXtremes) and the science magazine Galileo.
This new 1,100-square-metre location launched on 19 May 2026 and takes guests on an immersive expedition to the fascinating habitats of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Visitors follow in the footsteps of science to explore the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic© Christoph Buckstegen
Polar Experience uses scientific content, emotional storytelling, and immersive staging to powerfully explore the importance of the polar regions and encourage reflection on climate and environmental protection across seven zones.
“With 120,000 visitors in Berlin, Polar Experience is already a success story," says Nicole Srock.Stanley, founder of ClimateXtremes, initiator and creative director of Polar Experience.
"The strong response, the many positive reactions, and the dedicated feedback on the exhibition demonstrate the tremendous interest in combining science and climate topics within an immersive exhibition format. People care deeply about climate issues — they want to learn and engage.
"It has always been important to us to make this significant topic accessible to a broad audience. Polar Experience sees itself as a participatory exhibition. Numerous hands-on stations invite visitors to become active themselves and to develop ideas for a shared, sustainable future.
"We are now looking forward to the second stop of the immersive exhibition in Oberhausen and to welcoming even more enthusiastic guests.”
The immersive exhibition format is combined with emotional storytelling and immersive staging to support climate and environmental awareness© Christoph Buckstegen
Folkert Koopmans, managing director of FKP Scorpio Entertainment GmbH and promoter in Oberhausen, says: "We are very happy to present Polar Experience at OBEX.
"The exhibition stands out through its scientific authenticity, moving stories, immersive character, and its ability to inform and inspire without raising a moralizing finger.
"It impressively demonstrates that immersive exhibition formats are not primarily about entertainment or postcard imagery, but are perfectly suited to communicate knowledge, inspire visitors, encourage reflection, and promote personal engagement."
Impactful call to action
Guests enter the experience through a lobby, and then virtually board the research vessel, 'Polarstern'. Here, the Oberhausen edition features an additional room with expedition equipment.
Once prepared for their journey, guests move into The Fascination of Ice. This passage showcases extraordinary footage of ice in all its forms, while active cooling enables guests to experience the journey with all their senses.
Next are two rooms dedicated to the habitats of animals and humans living in the polar regions. The Animal Habitat space emphasises iconic polar species, including polar bears, seals, sea eagles, and penguins.
Meanwhile, the Human Habitat area presents the documentary The Last Ice as a representative, impactful portrayal of Arctic communities.
An immersive video-mapping room forms the exhibition’s largest experiential area and features 360 degree projections on walls up to six metres high, together with commissioned soundscapes that bring the Arctic and Antarctic, the beauty of nature, and the wildlife inhabiting these regions vividly to life.
In the Act Now zone, visitors can learn more about how they can contribute to climate protection© Christoph Buckstegen
The expedition concludes in the Act Now room. Here, guests can leave personal messages, sign petitions, and discover how they can actively contribute to climate protection together with partner organisations.
At the end of the exhibition, guests pass through the carefully curated shop.
Expert partnerships
Polar Experience is the first exhibition by Climate Education GmbH, which describes its dedication to climate and environmental protection as 'a love letter to our planet.'
The experience is presented by the ProSieben science magazines Galileo and Galileo Kids and digitally extended through the JOYN app. The wholly owned ProSieben subsidiary Seven.One Starwatch serves as the national media partner, communicating the exhibition to a wide audience.
Guests watching the Emmy Award-winning documentary, The Last Ice, in the Human Habitat area© Christoph Buckstegen
The partnership with Galileo and Galileo Kids has been key to Polar Experience since its opening in Berlin. In Oberhausen, the science magazine once again presents the exhibition format and digitally extends its content for curious visitors of all ages.
Frederik Fichtner, editor-in-chief Galileo, says: "There is no better way to experience the Arctic and Antarctic, with their landscapes, people, and animals, than through Polar Experience. It almost feels as though you are truly there yourself — the exhibition immerses you so deeply into the icy world that you become part of the story.
"This exhibition combines everything Galileo stands for: seeing, marveling, understanding — in 360 degrees."
dan pearlman extends thanks to exhibition contributors Prof. Dr. Markus Rex and the Alfred Wegener Institute, shaman Yaari Walker and the Yupik people, WWF Germany, GLS Bank, The Storytelling Company, Alessandro Rovere, Beate Kelm, Moritz Licht, Benedikt Horst Pawils, Lilli Stanley, Ali Schwarz, Til Schwabenbauer, and the orchestra of the Shostakovich Music School.
Recently, dan pearlman celebrated the exhibition's world premiere, which took place in Berlin on 6 December 2025.
