Cave painting: Where interaction meets prehistory
Step into Cro-Magnon life and awaken the past through hands-on painting, exploration, and tribal encounters
A project by Dina Idiatullina, Ekaterina Siling, Ilya Romanenko & Koorosh Sabzehzar
Supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Gabler & Prof. Philip Hausmeier
Project done in 3 Study Semester | Winter 2024/2025
About Project
Cave Painting is an immersive VR experience that transports users into the world of Cro-Magnon humans. Designed to foster empathy for early humans and curiosity about natural history, the experience leads players through a three-part journey across interconnected cave spaces. It begins in the Entrance Cave, a space meant to familiarize users with the environment and controls. Here, guests are introduced to basic mechanics like teleportation and spatial orientation, setting the stage for deeper engagement.
In the Painting Cave, users engage in a tactile process to mix pigments using stones and ingredients. Once pigment is ready, they apply it with their fingers onto wall stencils, watching the cave come to life with colors. Each interaction—grabbing stones, mixing, painting—immerses the user in rituals reminiscent of early human creativity. The sensory aspect of finger painting adds a personal connection to the ancient world, making the act of creation both physical and emotional.
The experience reaches its narrative peak in the Showcase Cave, unlocked after the user completes their artwork. By lighting a torch, a tribe member appears, guiding the player into a space where cave paintings animate to depict Cro-Magnon life. These motion-filled visuals offer a final tribute to the storytelling power of prehistoric art. This closing moment encapsulates the entire emotional arc—transitioning from isolation to connection, and from exploration to storytelling.
The project is designed around a chosen museum exhibit on human evolution, featuring 3D-printed human skulls and a chronological milestone display. Integrating these themes with VR interactivity, Cave Painting offers a powerful mix of historical context, creative freedom, and technological immersion. It invites guests not only to learn, but to emotionally resonate with the world of our earliest ancestors.