Environmental adventure at Zurich's Long Night of Museums
Water monsters, bird watching and the search for the perfect globe
On September 2, 2023, the Johann Jacobs Museum opened its doors and featured an exhibition on the environment during Zurich's Long Night of Museums. The family-friendly and interactive exhibition was based on the stories from the Digital Museum of Learning's first online exhibition “Making the environment matter”. An interactive physical exhibition was developed and produced for Zurich’s Long Night of Museums in collaboration with Axelle Benaich and Machines à Histoires.
Around 1,100 visitors, including many families with children, were able to immerse themselves in the history of environmental education during the Long Night of Museums. The exhibition was designed specifically for children so that the young explorers could be active themselves and discover the stories in a playful way.
Impressions from the exhibition
Birders’ corner
In the birders’ corner, they were able to take a look at nesting boxes and listen to the songs of endangered bird species. The videos in the nesting boxes were inspired by the illustrations of John (1804-1881) and Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), after whom one of the first bird conservation organizations in Australia was named.
Feasting with nature
One of the highlights was dinner with nature. At the long table in the impressive hall of the Johann Jacob Museum, the earth invited the visitors to the table! Through the menu compositions, visitors were able to learn about the history of personalities such as Rachel Carson (1907-1964), Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), Leopold (1822-1905) and Rudolph Blaschka (1857-1939) and the deadly goddess Atropos.
Landscape factory
In the landscape studio, visitors were able to get creative themselves and design their own version of a livable landscape with people, plants, and animals on a digital screen. We will publish the resulting works here shortly.
EcoGenesis art installation
Next door, in the library, visitors created a paper art installation based on old exhibition posters from the Johann Jacobs Museum under the expert, creative guidance of ARTIZIP. Inspired by nature, they made their own flowers, plants and animals that integrated into a new ecosystem.
While outside on the terrace the live music by Walter Baumgartner and Hannes Kasehs with the Dust Bowl songs by Woody Guthrie and the Monster Soup Cocktail invited people to linger, the exhibition continued in the basement. Mysterious water monsters, an underwater orchestra and a mini escape game with hidden clues from Élisée Reclus were to be discovered.
Puzzle of Blaschka glass models
Using a digital puzzle, visitors were able to put together the delicate Blaschka glass figures of underwater invertebrates. They learned more about these sea creatures and the unique works of art that were created in the 19th century in a playful way by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. They were created for the sciences and are still considered works of art today.
Blaschka’s underwater orchestra
On a journey into the deep sea, visitors were able to navigate the ocean and discover the Blaschka glass figures of squid and other invertebrates in a modern 3D version created by Peter Fried, a physicist from New York University (NYU). They were produced using special processes.
London Monster Soup
“Please smile” was the motto in the “Cave of Monsters,” where visitors could create their own underwater monster and take the snapshot home with them as a souvenir.
Mini escape game
Another highlight was the fully-booked mini escape game, in which the explorers had to answer various questions in order to uncover Élisée Reclus' vision of a "Perfect Globe".
The Digital Museum of Learning is an initiative of the Jacobs Foundation. The foundation works globally to ensure that children can develop their full potential with the help of evidence-based learning opportunities. The Digital Museum of Learning aims to inspire teachers and children with interactive stories and stimulate their curiosity for learning by bringing museum artifacts to life on screen.
The Johann Jacobs Museum and the Digital Museum of Learning regularly present interactive and digital exhibitions about the history and future of learning.
