Tiny Conservators

Making a Prototype for Caring About Colour Change

Tiny Conservators is an interactive game designed for children and families to explore how colors in paintings change over time. Developed by MUNCH as part of the PERCEIVE project, the prototype transforms conservation science into an gaming adventure—blending research, storytelling, and gameplay.

Why a Caring Prototype?

The video game is not just about explaining science—it is about sparking awe, wonder, and care. It helps children aged 6–10 understand that colors can fade, paintings are fragile, and conservation truly matters. By stepping into the role of protectors, they begin to see cultural heritage as something living, vulnerable, and worth caring for.

Key Research Focus

The prototype centers on Edvard Munch’s The Scream (1910 version), with a special emphasis on the dramatic sky colors. Its foundation lies in conservation research that examines pigments, paint layers, and their sensitivities to light, humidity, and temperature. Rather than offering academic explanations, the project aims to inspire a sense of symbiosis—a feeling that visitors and artworks depend on each other for care and preservation.

Storyworld

In a hidden microscopic magical world, just beyond human sight, lives the Tiny Conservators—a devoted order of miniature beings who fight endlessly to protect the colors of the world’s greatest artworks.
But danger looms: the Royal Elementals—Time, Humidity, and Light—take the stage as musical divas, each with their own style of chaos and damage. Players must band together to outwit these dazzling but destructive forces, protecting the artwork before it’s too late.

Installation at MUNCH Museum

The full-scale prototype will be installed in The Amfi, the circular glass room in the lobby of the MUNCH museum in Oslo. Opening in December 2025, it will take the form of a hybrid installation that combines digital interaction with an immersive physical space. The setup includes amphitheater-style seating, interactive lighting, and large-scale projection. Together, these elements transform the space into a stage where conservation science becomes visible, interactive, playful and emotionally engaging.

Credits

• Game Development: Meeka Elliot and Sebastian Røed Mangseth (MUNCH)
• Production: Matias Kiil, Joakim Heggedal, Tara Sofie Fox and Torbjörn Lennart Lurås Adelgren (MUNCH)
• Mediation: Nynne Ryhl Olsson (MUNCH)
• Scientific Advisory : Irina C. A. Sandu (MUNCH)