Walking through the rooms of dioramas at the Museum of Natural History with their accidental whimsy and painstaking precision feels akin to the comforting quirkiness of a Wes Anderson film or revisiting a favorite picture book from childhood. The Hall of Biodiversity with its infinite variety of both plant and animal life, from hand strung seeds to taxidermy flamingos in mid-flight, is worth the visit alone. We would happily accept just a sliver of the one hundred foot installation in Council (maybe once the expansion is complete?! More on that soon...). There is so much inspiration to be taken not only from the forms on display there, but in the beautiful method by which they are displayed.
The practice of collecting and cataloguing from the natural world is an impulse that often begins as early as childhood in the form of rock and insect collections, or any other stray objects we can find around the schoolyard. The impulse often evolves as we do, expanding to include more refined items - stamps, figurines, books, shoes, cameras. The basic sentiment remains the same though: an esteem for the products of our environment, an acknowledgement of the chaos and diversity that constitutes this environment, the preciousness of these elements when they are isolated and studied.
These photos are a tribute to a recent rainy day visit to AMNH. Hopefully it will inspire you to make the visit yourself soon or, if not, to spend an afternoon tinkering on a diorama or revisiting a favorite collection of your own.
xoxo COUNCIL
