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Scream Time Machine – a time travel experience at MUNCH

By LinkedInIrina Sandu

In January 2025 two groups from the staff of MUNCH lab (dedicated to new technologies and immersive experiences) and Communication & Market department of the Munch museum have tested the prototype (proof of concept) Scream Time Machine developed within Scenario 2 of Perceive project. The project leader of the MUNCH lab and two game developers tested the prototype and brainstormed together with Conservation Scientist Irina Sandu (project lead of Perceive on behalf of Munch) around the development of the whole final immersive experience to be showcased by the museum at the end of 2025 using game playing.

This final interactive experience (Echoes of Munch: A family adventure) will be designed to evoke wonder, simulate loss, and cultivate a sense of care for coloured collections, with families (caregivers and children) as the primary user group. It should also encourage an understanding of the scientific process behind the project and the conservation of these collections. The aim is to combine game playing with other stations where hands on activities (e.g. drawing workshops) inspired by the Scream can be performed in an area of the museum where tickets will not be needed for granting access.

Within the game, families will navigate the painting’s landscape, solve quests, and combat decay to preserve this iconic artwork. Guided by personalised Munch characters, each family undertakes quests to restore parts of the painting, mirroring the conservation process and drawing parallels to the natural fading of pigments in paintings and the intricate connection between painting pigments and nature. This gamified experience fosters teamwork and communication, reflecting the essential role of collaboration in addressing real-world challenges.

The Scream Time Machine showcases 3 components with the aim to engage the users into acquiring more information about the Scream main version housed at Munch museum and its troubled life, that led to color change (mainly fading). This proof of concept also invites the users to explore the painting using different senses (sight, touch, hearing). It is a fun and direct way to appreciate the condition of the colored surface, the technique of the artist (the way he applied the colors over the cardboard) and its evolution in time (including important moments as the theft in 2004 that damaged even more the painting) since 1938, when the first black and white photograph has been taken. The components above-mentioned in the video below:

2D and 3D interactive scans made with a Hirox digital microscope and several 3D prints in color and monochrome versions obtained from them and also a board game that can be played by 2 up to 4-5 players. The full size scan at 30x and a detail (face of main character) at 90x of the Scream are available by clicking on the images below:

The story presented in the video includes special moments in the life of the Scream (1910?) and also documentation and evidence of change of the colors of this iconic art-object, studied with scientific tools. It brings the visitor from the Past (around 1938) to the Present (2024) moment and then offer possibilities of Future exploration of the change in color through hypotheses of simulation of this change in the future. It ends with the invitation to explore more about this time travelling as game players.

The game components are:

  • 1 Timeline sheet
  • 3 decks of cards:
    • 1  TIME CARDS deck of blue color, 8 cards​
    • 1 CARE CARDS deck of green color, 5 cards
    • 1  DANGER CARDS deck of red color, 5 cards
  • a cardboard support as a dashboard

When the game starts the players are divided in a Danger Master and Time travelers. The aim of the game is for the TIME TRAVELERS to recreate a timeline of the Scream’s life, putting the TIME CARDS in order on the board, each card according to its date.The DANGER MASTER is the only one to know the exact order in which the cards have to be positioned, shown on the TIMELINE sheet.​ The DANGER MASTER can only play a DANGER card when the TIME TRAVELLERS make a mistake regarding the order of the cards.

The guidelines also contain a set of PERCEIVE terms (vocabulary) briefly described for the players to read and understand why it is important to study and preserve the colors of the Scream and also help them make decisions around the Care cards when DANGER cards are used. The duration of the game can vary, but if we have 4 simultaneous players it would take 15-20 min. The total duration of the Scream Time machine experience takes around 30-35 min.

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