Among the many treasures of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich the St. Galler Globus offers a controversial history, interdisciplinary research approaches and narrative richness. The globe is a magnificent manifestation of the world concept of the late 16th century. The modern (for its time) cartographical knowledge, representation of current (i.e. contemporary) and historical events and diverse mirabilia combined with its overwhelming size and opulent paint job certainly led it to be a “conversational piece” wherever it was exhibited.

Even though it is a fully functional earth and celestial globe regarding its size and elaborative decorative artistry, it is assumed that the globe was more of a prestigious showpiece than a scientific instrument. The globe's full splendor is best appreciated by exploring the original at the Landesmuseum Zürich or its replica in the Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen. Because of its size and fragility it is not possible to make the globe fully accessible for exploration to the public.

That is where you can step in! Fortunately the ETH Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry made a high resolution 3D prototype available for both the original and the replica globe (Low Resolution Preview: https://hbzwwws04.uzh.ch/occusense/sg_globus.php).

Combined with the rich expertise around the St. Galler Globus we want to create digital concepts of how we could make the St. Galler Globus’ narratives and historical context accessible to a broader audience interested in “Scientainment”. We are looking for people who want to create digital prototypes, write and visualize narratives, conceptualize interactive experiences or find other ways to show the rich narratives of the St. Galler Globus.

With those concepts we want to show the potential inherent in exhibiting a digital version of the St. Galler Globus.

Passwords to the sources: Magnetberg