Because the practice rushes trough the flat panorama, because the cities and villages grow to be fewer and farther between and because the forests of the Veluwe give approach to the lakes and fields of the North, I really feel strengthened. I’ve lived centrally within the Netherlands for years, however my inside compass nonetheless factors due North. It’s at all times price popping out all this fashion.
There’s at all times some dinosaur exhibition happening someplace. Three years in the past, it was Denekamp; final yr, it was Vlaardingen. Now, it’s the flip of Natuurmuseum Fryslân in distant Leeuwarden, giving me the excuse to exit to the beautiful North and go to a museum I’ve by no means been. And what a stunning day it was, sunny however quiet. Our museum is housed on this charming seventeenth century former orphanage.
Via the entry present store we go, into this coated courtyard. It’s scorching right here in the summertime. However, espresso and tea are complimentary, so I my wonderful temper continues.
Right here is the occasion that caught my consideration: “Dino Dubbelgangers”. As you might need guessed, it means “Dino Doppelgängers”, and the premise of the exhibition is that it compares extinct dinosaurs to their residing analogues.
A Mesozoic dinosaur seems to be into the mirror and sees a Holocene animal that, roughly, fills the identical area of interest. On this case, Thescelosaurus acknowledges itself within the roe deer… or is it the opposite manner round? They’re each smallish herbivores in an setting with loads of greater issues round, poised to flee from hazard reasonably than combat. I’ll share my ideas concerning the premise of this exhibition later… however lets first admire the beautiful minimalist design of the exhibit right here, the well-lit animals in opposition to the easy black backdrop and the mirror offering a transparent and placing picture that communicates the intent very properly.
The reconstructed Thescelosaurus skeleton is taken into account the spotlight of the exhibition. It’s not a very huge dinosaur, but it surely’s nonetheless bigger than a human and fairly fascinating in its personal proper. It’s a Late Cretaceous ornithischian discovered within the Hell Creek formation, along with staple dinosaurs comparable to T. rex and Triceratops. Its lengthy tail and atypical, elongated, barely squashed snout with giant eye sockets are very placing and stylish. Alive, I guess it will have been cute.
Extra of the identical thought, however at a smaller scale. A dinosaur is in comparison with a contemporary animal, with the mirror separating them. In the remainder of the circumstances, the dinosaurs themselves are represented by collectible figurines. Toys at museums! I can’t escape them! There aren’t any extra dinosaur mounts, however at the very least there’s some fossil materials current for every featured dinosaur – most frequently a tooth. Majungasaurus right here is being in comparison with a lion. It’s speculated on the signal that majungasaurs might need hunted in packs – although the signal performs down any certainty we’ve got over dinosaur behaviour, which is correct. Be aware how the indicators are bilingual – in Dutch and Frisian, that’s!
Inevitably, Spinosaurus is in comparison with a crocodile. The visualizing figurine is an Ibrahim-inspired swimmer, however the signal may be very fast to level out that there’s a lot of uncertainty and debate across the life look of Spinosaurus. This exhibition is put collectively by conservator and palaeontologist Dennis Voeten, and he clearly is aware of his stuff. I don’t know if the spinosaur snout on show is real.
Evaluating T. rex to a hyena makes a number of sense. Thankfully, no person is taking part in the drained previous “hunter or scavenger?” sport – the textual content notes that hyenas do each, and so most likely did Horny Rexy. The comparability is made due to each animals’ penchant for chewing bones. I’m certain Marc will inform us within the feedback what all these collectible figurines are.
Oh expensive, we’ve got A Take. Nanotyrannus is introduced individually from T. rex! Oh the controversy! The signal, once more, brings nuance to the desk. It notes that, whether or not or not Nano is a juvenile T. rex or not, it definitely had a unique weight loss program and crammed a unique area of interest, and that’s what we’re actually focused on. Not like a hyena, a lynx doesn’t chew by bones, however reasonably strips them. I don’t know if that is additionally the case for nano/teen rex (delete as applicable). Nuance on the signal is all properly and good, however not everybody’s going to learn the signal… The tooth on show is totally tiny. Grownup T. rex tooth are, want I remind you, as huge as bananananas!
Ouranosaurus is a cow.
A much bigger set piece then: Triceratops in comparison with an elephant! I’m very glad they didn’t go together with a rhino. Solely final week did I see a Dutch information broadcaster name a Triceratops a “prehistoric rhinoceros“, so us science communicators nonetheless have a lot work to do… Triceratops is as huge as an elephant and twice as lengthy, so it’s at the very least as applicable. Apart from this, and each animals utilizing pointy bits for interspecific fight, the connection between the 2 animals is a bit far-fetched, and the signal wants to achieve to seek out factors of comparability.
The elephant skeleton is actual, and provides the exhibition one thing spectacular to take a look at. The Triceratops is only a life-sized cutout on the wall, however its sheer measurement nonetheless makes it fairly spectacular. A full Triceratops mount was current on the Leeuwarden library throughout the summer season, however not – will probably be a part of an upcoming exhibition in Naturalis. So right here’s a small-scale reproduction of a Triceratops cranium as an alternative.
Naturalis has additionally offered the museum with a few actual Triceratops bones to indicate off, although it isn’t clear to me which of them. They’ve cabinets and cabinets of Triceratops materials at Naturalis, they usually’ve solely simply completed prep work on all of it. However we’ll get to that another day.
And that, roughly, is it for the Dino Dubbelgangers. It’s definitely not a really huge exhibition, nor are there many particularly spectacular gadgets on show – no Large Al right here. However I believe the museum has used what it has been given to most impact. With restricted house and price range, Dennis Voeten and the folks of Natuurmuseum Fryslân have succeeded in making a properly thought out and handsome exhibition. There’s a very clear premise, adopted all through, that enables the informal customer to return away with good new information concerning the creatures of the previous. The signage is prime notch.
If I’ve any criticism, it’s this: evaluating dinosaurs to modern-day animals this fashion stays very imperfect. Not solely are dinosaurs very totally different from mammals, mesozoic ecosystems are significantly totally different from holocene ones, particularly with our nature in such dramatic decline. It’s very probably that many dinosaurs have been doing issues that actually haven’t any passable analogue within the trendy world. One of many issues that make dinosaurs so endlessly fascinating is all of the methods wherein they’re not like any animal we’re accustomed to.
However, there’s definitely one thing to be stated for eradicating dinosaurs from their standing as “super-monsters” and bringing them to degree with our acquainted animals. It stays essential to remind everybody that dinosaurs are simply that – animals. It’s the antidote to Jurassic World and the neverending monsterization, which continues to be overwhelmingly the dominant narrative in popular culture the place dinosaurs are involved. Turning dinosaurs into the deer, cows, hyenas and lynxes of their day demystifies them, makes them a part of an actual nature reasonably than one thing out of science fiction. To the younger creativeness, it simply serves to make dinosaurs that extra actual. So, in the end, the Dino Dubbelgangers exhibition will get my approval.
And should you evaluate this modest, small price range exhibition to the reasonably extra ropey affair final yr in Vlaardingen, Natuurmuseum Fryslân is right here to indicate us tips on how to make significantly better use of restricted sources.
Let’s discover the remainder of the museum for a bit, then. I’m not going to indicate you all the pieces, as this place turned out to be fairly huge! Right here’s a small everlasting exhibition on geese!
The whale corridor particularly was reasonably spectacular. There have been at the very least ten totally mounted whale skeletons, largely toothed whales and dolphins. There was an orca, a narwhal, a small rorqual and an enormous sperm whale as its centerpiece. The corridor itself was made additional atmospheric with the home windows colored blue and every kind of whaling paraphernalia alongside the partitions, together with some taxidermied seals.
I’d like to attract your consideration to the blue whale jaws on the ground, surrounding the sperm whale. The jaws themselves are half the dimensions of the whole sperm whale. It’s virtually inconceivable to understand how huge blue whales are. An ideal exhibition.
Equally as spectacular is that this wondrous journey cupboard corridor. You know the way a lot we love an quaint museum with wood cupboards right here. That stated, this all seems to be barely too neat to be genuine. The distribution of taxidermy is just too tasteful, the curtains too frilly, the furnishings too elegant. It is a room themed to an previous journey cupboard; there’s even some lore a couple of fictionalized model of a Frisian explorer, Kapitein Severein. We even get to satisfy him in a bespoke pre-show! Don’t get me improper: I liked strolling round right here as I used to be doing it. Trying again now although, I’m questioning… Are we getting into kitsch territory right here?
Reasonably than an genuine old style museum corridor, right here we’ve got a totally trendy museum corridor themed to an old style one. Museums are studying from theme parks, and I’m undecided if it’s at all times the best classes. As an alternative of an genuine museum expertise, we’re getting a hyperreal, fabricated, idealized model. On this nation, daily out in the end desires to grow to be the Efteling. Layers upon layers of kayfabe. Is that higher or worse than a museum really untouched by time? I don’t know, but it surely’s good to pay attention to the distinction. I’ll let these ideas percolate… Anyway right here’s some superior previous scientific illustrations of sharks and eels to distract me.
Numerous stunning taxidermy.
Right here’s one other cool factor. This room was all about animal tooth and their kind and performance, so what’s the room themed to? A dentist’s workplace, after all! You’ll be able to even sit within the dentist’s chair and perform a little tooth-themed quiz on that monitor display screen! A ding for each proper reply, and an electrical shock for a improper one. Possibly, I don’t know, I had all of them right.
On the very prime flooring, a room is styled to “Darwin’s attic”. We’ve got to think about Darwin sitting right here, obsessively logging the variations between particular person bugs, growing his hypotheses and drafting On The Origin Of Species. It’s one other closely thought-out room, positively respiratory environment. There’s stuffed birds on each ceiling beam, animals, cupboards, bones and illustrations in all places. That is what the science of pure historical past seems to be, feels and smells like. I additionally respect how unflinchingly the museum tackles and explains evolution, a topic that another Dutch museums are suspiciously mum about… no matter concern they’ve about angering sure teams, it’s no concern right here. The whiteboard takes the polar bear for example, and explains the way it could have advanced from the brown bear.
Maybe it’s no coincidence that the Efteling was on my thoughts, as a result of the largest shock of this museum was within the basements, the place (at an affordable upcharge) there’s an precise, honest-to-Vader-Laaf darkish journey to expertise! Styled as an underwater safari, you board a little bit trackless automobile that takes you on an underwater tour by ponds and rivers, surrounded by fish, diving birds and sunk issues, boats overhead. Then you definately cross a sluice door and enter the ocean. The entire expertise is round ten minutes lengthy, and at this level I’ve fully forgiven this museum for desirous to be a theme park. It’s accomplished so properly! It fully suits in with the premise and themes of this museum. And it’s clearly a love letter to the native nature of Frisia.
I’m often very crucial concerning the themeparkification of Dutch museums, however, truthfully, I had a blast at Natuurmuseum Fryslân. Possibly a few of it’s kitschy, but it surely has succeeded in capturing one thing of the very essence of pure historical past, the feel of it. Picket cupboards, whale skeletons, musty attics and taxidermy. Birds and fish and bugs and ammonites. And dinosaurs, after all. It’s captured the love of nature, the delight find out how our planet works, the amazement that comes with exploring the residing world. One other factor it has captured: my coronary heart. I’d love to return again right here some day. The North isn’t rid of me but.
The Dino Dubbelgangers exhibition will be seen at Natuurmuseum Fryslân till January 5 2025.