The Earth is a fairy tale. But the story is cracking
Step into an immersive exhibition in which our planet comes to life as the main character of a story that we ourselves are writing. From the Big Bang to the smartphone. From the depths of the Earth’s layers to everyday choices.
Once Upon a Time... the Earth reveals how wondrous, vulnerable, and influenceable our planet is - and why your role in it truly matters.
On view from 28 February 2026.
Why this exhibition now?
Because the Earth is not a backdrop, but a player.
Resources are running out. Climate change is accelerating. Geopolitical tensions are revealing just how deeply power, technology, and nature are intertwined. What happens if we continue to treat the Earth as a supplier - instead of a partner?
Once upon a time, the Earth brings together science, imagination, and current affairs in an experience that doesn’t just invite you to look, but to think along.
A journey through time, matter, and the future
From the Earth’s core to the end of the universe.
In this large-scale, immersive exhibition, you travel through the history, the inner workings, and the possible futures of our planet. You descend through layers of the Earth, experiment with the climate, journey billions of years ahead, and discover how much Earth is inside your smartphone.
No distance.
But interactive installations, fictional stories, real raw materials, and tangible choices.
Highlights to experience
- Geolift – Descend into the burning heart of the Earth
- Borehole Park – From raw material to screen
- Smartphone Marbles – The scarcity behind every swipe
- The Cooling Game – Play with the climate of 2040
- Future Travels – Journey billions of years into the future
- Pangea (AR) – Reassemble the continents
- Plastiglomerate – Our waste as a future fossil
- Beyond the Stars (VR) – A shared mission in the year 2501
No doom thinking, but taking responsibility
The Earth is not a finished work of art, but a work in progress.
Next Nature Museum does not believe in paralyzing visions of the future, but in curiosity, imagination, and responsibility. This exhibition invites you to look differently: not whether we shape the Earth, but how we do so.
You won’t leave the exhibition with answers, but with new questions - and the energy to help write the next chapter.
Practical information
Next Nature Museum – Evoluon, Eindhoven
Language: Dutch & English
Wed–Sun | 11:00–17:00
Once upon a time... the Earth is part of the Next Nature Museum and was made possible in part thanks to the support of the following funds and grant providers:
