He hit upon the idea to make life-size reconstructions of scenes, often ones he came across in photographs.

In 1854, the Crystal Palace in London opened the first great dinosaur show: a collection of life-size "reconstructions" by the sculptor Waterhouse Hawkins.

A generally stellar midcareer survey of the 40-year-old German artist, who makes life-size reconstructions of scenes, often ones he has come across in photographs, taking his own cinematic works.

Biskupin, a life-size reconstruction of a gord-like Lusatian settlement in Poland.

Full-scale life-size reconstructions give visitors the best idea of what the site was like in the past, however.

LEFT Part of the vivid life-size reconstruction at the Jorvik Viking Centre in York.

The highlight is a life-size reconstruction of a mammal skeleton that was discovered in the Rezina region in 1966.

A life-size reconstruction of this dinosaur can be seen at Dinosauria, a dinosaur museum located in Espéraza, France.

Other potential exhibits include a life-size reconstruction of a family's backyard bomb shelter and a collection of oral histories from military personnel and civilians.

You can walk through a life-size reconstruction of the surgeon's offices, then visit the original excavation site across the street at the recently opened Domus.