A project like Eurasia Tunnel brakes records, comes first (or near the top) in some fields and is reflected in some surprising statistics – information of this kind is presented to the visitors in a uniquely designed and interactive way as “10 Facts about Eurasia” on the Round Touch-table in the center of the room. The table becomes active when a movement sensor activates it. In the opening sequence through animation we see the satellite image of the Bosporus as seen from outer space; we come nearer to the sea surface and dive into the sea and then the rocks and sand. Then the TBM face appears, spinning and cutting through the geological formation and finally becoming the finished tunnel with traffic flowing through it.

Then an interaction interface appears on the table surface, with ten fields around its perimeter, each representing one fact with one catchword or phrase. When a visitor touches one in front of them, it opens into an animation about that fact (ca 10 sec). Touching some facts influence the rest of the table for 5 seconds, then they reappear.

Any modern exhibition of this kind is itself an orchestration of the work and product of many professionals. In the Eurasia Tunnel Exhibition Avcı Architects lead by Sanja Jurca Avcı as the designer and curatorial planner, undertook to deliver the whole project as a one stop “turnkey” project where the client was given one point of contact. Our role encompassed the interpretation of masses of data, putting it together in to a graphically consistent visual whole, working with multimedia designers and programmers, to tell the story interactively, collaborating with restorers to select machinery remains, and working with specialist exhibition contractors to make this a high quality production which will last for many years to come.

The work was not only delivered in an extremely short time scale, (6 weeks from start of contract), it also entailed R&D time creating an unusually large interactive table using high-tech touch surfaces of the kind seen in modern telephones today, hitherto not seen in Turkey.