Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures are an endless source of fascination for young and old alike. In less than two centuries since they were recognised and named by science, they’ve captured the imagination of generations and become the subject of art, film, museum displays, documentaries, video games, virtual reality, toys, books, animatronic models…
From the first visualisations of creatures that only left traces of themselves in fossilised bones and fragments of skeletons, to the three-dimensional virtual reality creations of game designers, images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals have become a part of our culture. When a new dinosaur discovery is published in the scientific community, more often than not it’s reported on the national news.
Bristol’s Palaeomedia Project is an informal discussion group and blog that explores how dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures are visualised in different media. Although affiliated to the University’s Palaeobiology Research Group, we welcome anyone who is in touch with their inner 7-year-old and loves dinosaurs, although other prehistoric creatures are not excluded (and the occasional dragon finds its way into the discussion..)
I’m aware that some of you will be familiar with many of the ideas on here and others will be new to palaeomedia, so you’ll see that there are two types of posts: some of general interest and some I’ve called ‘Introducing..’, which introduce artists, films and media events to readers who may not have met them before.
Have a look at the Interesting Things page, where you’ll find links to other sites that explore different facets of palaeomedia. We’d welcome comments on posts – there are a few guidelines on the Guidance for comments and posts page. And please let us know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see on here – or if you’d like to contribute!
So welcome to the University of Bristol’s Palaeomedia Project – you’ll find us on Twitter(@brispalmedia) and Instagram (BrisPalMedia) and watch out for updates on this blog. If you want to be kept updated on new posts, you can subscribe by email (right).