Thylacine Taxidermy Berlin Natural History Museum Berlin Art Museums

Museum fur naturkunde, Berlin. The Exhibitions.
5th edition 2013.
Berlin: Leibniz Institue for Inquiry on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin.

Biodiversity wall- iv metres high and twelve metres long, featuring over 3,000 diverse animals from a broad range of habitats. P3 ranging from the kiwi bird to the clouded leopard. P11
Many visitors are particularly fascinated past the preparation exhibition, which demonstrates the many techniques of preserving natural objects that are used not only for the exhibitions, but also in the over xxx million- detail research collections of the museum. P3

15 million insects. P11

276,000 jars with animals preserved in ethanol. P11

Exhibitions should provide pedagogy as well equally entertainment. To act as a hub of communication between the sciences and the public. Scientists assist pattern the exhibits. P14

We deliberately refrained from prescribing a route, as we want to ship our visitors on their individual journeys. Restraint has been exercised in the employ of audiovisual and digital media. P14
Taxidermy is used to visually depict points made about the sciences – for example the results of plate tectonics, development of birds of paradise and 'horses, grass and climate'.

For each species (of found and fauna) that has been described, a preserved specimen must be submitted to a natural history museum then that it can be studied and verified by scientists. P66
Models (not taxidermy) created which evidence the outer shell/ pare of the animal on one one-half and the skeleton on the other, so it is visible what is going on within – especially surrounded past the topic of evolution.

Extinct animals (Tasmanian tiger) all that is left are mounted animals, quondam film reels, photos and descriptions of the fauna in museums. Museums brand it possible to keep the retentivity alive and permit for people to still acquire about the extinct. P75

Fauna training techniques.p80

The over 300 mounted birds shown include almost all native Central European species, thus enabling visitors to accept a close look at them and compare them – something they cannot normally practise when bird-watching in real life. P80

Wet collection described as 'zoological objects preserved in ethanol'. P109

Moisture collection is an 'active collection' considering it is always existence used by scientists. P109

Most 100 years ago all large natural history museums around the world decided to divide scientific collections from public displays. P110

Visitors look a display to be every bit natural-looking as possible. P110

As early on every bit 300years ago, taxidermists were trying to brandish selected animals equally close to nature as possible. The 2 ocelots on display at the museum show the differing composure of taxidermists over fourth dimension. The worst case of the ocelot was undertaken by a taxidermist who had never seen an ocelot and had to go on background information. The taxidermist needs to see the muscle motion etc to complete an ideal specimen. P113

Paraffin substitution technique for preserving sparsely-haired body parts. The water contained in cell tissue is substituted past solid compounds such every bit paraffin or polyethylene glycol. P113

For the taxidermy of big animals, the body is remodelled and covered with the tanned hide of the animal, which is and so sewn together. Depending on its purpose, the animal model is made of plaster or various types of plastic. Our display cabinets show step by step how a mouflon is mounted. One of the virtually of import and time-consuming processes is the rigorous and detailed record of the appearance of the dead and – wherever possible – the living animal. This information is crucial for a life-like reconstruction of the animate being. Details like miniscule creases or the difference betwixt flexed and relaxed muscles make the departure betwixt a convincing, life-similar reproduction and an empty shell of the creature in question. P114

The reconstruction of extinct animals is a special branch of model-making. P117

Museum holds the reconstruction of a dullard by Karl Kastner, 1949, that was pioneering of the time and copied by many museums. P117

Although insects are the most species-rich course of all animals – making up 60% of all known species – they rarely take a prominent place in museums for natural history.p120

Diorama is the Ancient Greek word for a transparent motion-picture show and was first used in an art and theatre context where dioramas helped create optical effects such as movement or the changing light of day. The proper name was adopted for the showcases that were created in imitation of a theatre set to requite an idea of the natural habitat of the mounted animals. This museums dioramas were built between 1918 and 1925 when most people did not have the opportunity to travel and see the natural beauty of far-flung places. The setting had to be as close to nature as possible. Model builders painted landscapes in perspective on spherical backgrounds, arranging plants and animals in the foreground. Such dioramas sprang upwards within a very short time all over the world. To save space they often showed an unrealistically rich mix of species crammed into a tiny space. Later, the concept of dioramas was developed further into, for example, mini dioramas. P126

Every bit early on as 1880, the taxidermist Philip Leopold Martin wrote that public museums and collections should aim at 'accomodating the gustatory modality of the noesis-seeking public past remaining as true-blue to nature as possible when arranging the animals.' He continues 'this concept allows us to join those creatures that share a gear up of living conditions and indeed alive alongside each other'. Martin is regarded as one of the first champions of dioramas that show animals essentially in their natural habitat. P131

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Source: https://curatorinthemaking.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/notes-taken-from-the-museum-fur-naturkunde-exhibition-guide-berlin-2014/

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