World of Wasps - Architecture of the Nest

Wasps are among the most ecologically important and

evolutionarily fascinating insects on the planet. As pest controllers, pollinators, architects and social innovators,

they play vital roles in balancing ecosystems and shaping biodiversity. Yet, they remain deeply misunderstood and often feared.

 

This VR experience is based on the research of behavioural ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner and her team at UCL’s Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, who investigate the evolution of insect societies, the role of wasps in ecosystems, and how

public perceptions shape our relationship with them.

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Datascape Realities collaborated with the Sumner lab and the Grant Museum to transform this scientific research into a multisensory virtual reality experience as part of World of Wasps, the first museum exhibition dedicated to these extraordinary insects. Visitors are invited to follow wasps in flight in a re-wilded Grant Museum and enter the curious interior of the wasp nest.

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This exhibition is a cross-disciplinary collaboration

designed to reframe that narrative, bringing cutting-

edge wasp research to life through immersive virtual

reality (VR). The experience offers audiences a visceral,

first-person journey through the habitats of wasps and

into the inner world of a wasp colony, showcasing the beauty, complexity, and relevance of these misunderstood insects.

 

Using digital techniques common in spatial design and

game-led storytelling, this VR environment was built from real-world data. Photogrammetry was performed on two specimens from the Sumner Lab, capturing the fine details of nest fragments with millimetreprecision. Alongside this, CT scan data of a wasp nest made by the UCL Centre for Integrative Anatomy was also converted into high-resolution 3D models of the internal nest combs, revealing the structure of these remarkable paper-built architectures in stunning detail, from egg chambers to larval compartments.

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Datascape Realities has worked closely with the Sumner Lab to develop the storytelling: from audio files collected by the lab to advice on wasp behaviour, from solitary foundresses to complex colony coordination.

Once the digital environment was complete, it was

optimised for VR deployment and integrated into a pair of sculptural VR installations custom-built for the Grant

Museum.