Would historical present be appropriate for a video projection on a 3D model telling the story of a territory from archaeological and geological points of view?
I worked on the Italian version and have to validate the translation: in Italian, it's a common strategy used to simplify the language and improve engagement; not sure about English!
The use of the historical present in English is rare. Generally, in documentary works about the past. A narrator is framed telling the story from a point in the future from the events almost exclusively. When the historical present is used, it's almost always in fiction, not in historical non-fiction, and is one of the more difficult tenses to write in.
The historical present is used when the moment is being presented as a reenactment. The important part of that approach is to limit the knowledge presented to the point in time the moment is being staged.
For example, when the Elgin Marbles were being crated up on the acropolyis, your exhibit could portray Lord Elgin reflecting on the historical import and the great history the pieces represent. But he should remain mute on the subject of appropriation, since that is a modern notion and not something a 19th century Englishman would likely thought about. He might reflect on the ever glorious British Empire and its fate to eventual rule the entire world, if Lord Elgin ever thought ideas like that. The audience would see the counterpoint to the current United Kingdom.
