Last summer we stumbled upon an unlikely relic, the Tado Ivanausko Zoologijos museum in Kaunas Lithuania. Here is a splendidly preserved time capsule of a natural history museum. It seemed like the entire animal kingdom in taxidermy, hidden away in a cabinet of curiosities that felt like it had not been opened since the Iron Curtain fell. We were practically the only people in the place. It was thrilling.
Thrilling in much the same way that New York’s American Museum of Natural History, Musee de la Chasse et de La Nature in Paris, or the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford are. All of it to scale, real animals and objects with the immediacy of something you can reach out and touch. The glass cases are works of art, still lives rendered in three dimensions. Stepping in front of the the splendid wildlife dioramas feels like there’s only a pane of glass separating you from close encounters in distant lands. It’s almost like teleportation. The best of the exhibits we saw in Kaunas made start in surprise, or the hair stand on end as these inanimate scenes triggered some primordial fight or flight reflex. We provided the animation ourselves!
Dioramas are decidedly old school in a digital age. It’s perhaps that much more surprising then that they can prompt such a visceral response in young viewers accustomed to learning from screens. There’s something particularly enchanting about the verisimilitude and the mesmerising trompe-l’oieil techniques that never tires. So it was encouraging to discover that it’s not a dying art after all.
Science illustration, in the manner of Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, is alive an well. Jane Kim is one such practitioner, and having completed a marvellous mural of migratory animals, she hopes that her approach will bring new relevance to the educational art that inspired her, but is also widely considered antiquated today. Many museums are racing to deploy interactive digital displays to draw visitors. When the initial ‘wow effect wears off, will these have the same lasting impact as witnessing the whale in the Hall of Ocean Life in New York? Like the CGI renderings in Hollywood’s Night at the Museum, these may end up looking more like a travesty of the reality they seek to represent.
Whatever the medium, here’s to the pursuit of wonder. “…Whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” From Aristotle’s early explorations, through Darwin’s drawings, the glass flowers of Blashka & Son, and even the art of Walton Ford, close observation of the natural world is a revelation. That’s worth seeking out in any museum setting. Or better yet, get out into the wild. It is one of a kind, and it is completely analog.
Romas Viesulas
I divide my time between home in Portugal – taking road trips to Latin America in search of investment opportunities – and London, where I often present the current affairs programme on Monocle 24 Radio. For Pirouette, I'll take my inspiration from The Swiss Family Robinson. Life with kids is certainly an adventure. It can seem easy to feel shipwrecked however on the high seas of a rapidly changing, ever more globalised world. How can we ensure our children have the tools they need to survive, even thrive?
Subscribe to Pirouette's monthly Newsletter.
You might also like
May 24, 2017
Flying Animals : HAPTIC LAB Inc
Haptic Lab produce the most wonderful handmade kites, recently the New York based design studio have released two new characters into their flying animals collection. Their magical crane and…
January 31, 2017
The Animals Observatory: SS17 fashion film
Amongst the present madness in the world and the hectic Aw17 shows we take time to stop, take a breath of fresh air and remember what it's all about. Please enjoy watching this beautiful escape of a…
October 1, 2016
PèPè Children Shoes x The Animals Observatory
When it comes to PèPè Children Shoes + The Animals Observatory, we say Vive La Collaboration!
July 13, 2014
Sunday Video : animals run the show
Little ones will laugh out loud with this BBC video featuring talking chipmunks, farting gorillas or dancing birds. I hope you parents will join them and share a fun moment!
April 7, 2013
Bite size Modern Art
This is a very fun cooking book for all gourmands and arts lovers. Step by step, it will teach you how to make your own edible masterpieces, inspired by iconic work of art by Andy Warhol, Jeff…
May 20, 2012
The magnificent Ordos Museum
Only a few years ago, the city of Ordos was totally unknown. Today, it is a vibrant and ultra modern place, hosting a jaw dropping piece of architecture : The Ordos Museum, designed by MAD…
March 17, 2012
france culture
When I was living in New York I was in love with European stores, and now that I am based in Europe, I buy most of my things in the Big Apple (the change rate is in my favour!). The grass is always…
November 10, 2010
Totem animals at play
Tara Hogan, a graphic designer and an illustrator, sees the world as organic and bright. A vision reflected in her fresh and very refined INK + WIT collection of stationary. Notecards,…