 |
||
|
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Media Relations 4400 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA, 15213 |
||
For Immediate Release July 20, 2009 Carnegie Museum of Natural History Presents Available Images Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania… Interactive, immersive and featuring the latest in international cetacean research, Whales|Tohorā is an experience that brings adults and children eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures. Carnegie Museum of Natural History will host Whales|Tohorā, an international touring exhibition from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, on view from October 31, 2009–May 2, 2010 in the R. P. Simmons Family Gallery. “Whales|Tohorā is a great example of a world-class exhibition that incorporates multiple disciplines of science,” says Samuel M. Taylor, Director of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. “Whales|Tohorā incorporates life sciences, anthropology and collection-based studies of the past, and applies that knowledge to address issues of today, including conservation and ecology. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, as an active, collections-based research institution, follows a similar strategic methodology. ” Featuring a massive 58 foot, fully articulated sperm whale skeleton, Whales|Tohorā showcases amazing and rare specimens from Te Papa’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world. Visitors will see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific, real objects including rare beaked whale skulls and ancient and contemporary whalebone treasures such as weapons and chiefly adornments. The intricacies of whale biology and the bloody history of whaling in New Zealand are examined, and visitors also have a unique opportunity to encounter whales through video portholes and be transported into their underwater world via two large immersive projections. The Whale Lab is full of interactive science. Children can crawl through a life-size replica of the largest living creature’s heart—the blue whale. The extraordinary evolutionary journey of whales from land to the sea is shown by casts of fossil whale ancestors. Animated renderings of these early forebears show the transition of leaving the land and completely adapting to a life in the sea. Visitors can tune in to a range of whale sounds and discover how scientists and amateur trackers identify individual whales on their migration through the Pacific Ocean. The Whale Lab also features “Search & Destroy,” an experience that takes visitors to the ocean depths with a sperm whale on a hunt in search of giant squid, recreated from data and sounds collected directly from real sperm whales. For centuries the people of the South Pacific have interacted with whales. A large component of the exhibition focuses on the relationship between whales and humans— in New Zealand the Māori, the indigenous peoples of Polynesian descent and the Pakeha, or those of European descent. A moving film experience, alongside a model whale head from the movie Whale Rider, tells three stories that explore whale-riding traditions in New Zealand, including the famous story of Paikea. The story of the chief Tinirau and his pet whale, Tutunui, is a tale of love and revenge recognized throughout the South Pacific and brought to life in a stunning stand-alone animated movie. Early whaling in New Zealand provided many trading opportunities between Mäori and Pakeha. These encounters punctuate the history of the New Zealand whale trade and are illustrated by objects such as harpoons, scrimshaw (whale tooth carvings) and mäori taonga (treasures). The exhibition demonstrates a nation’s change in attitude towards whaling, from a whaling nation to one renowned for its ecotourism and anti-whaling stance, told through emotional first person interviews and graphic imagery. Whalebone and teeth have long been a material of great value for objects of status, adornment and warfare. Ancient and rare taonga such as jewelry and weaponry from the South Pacific are stunningly displayed in a special storehouse; contemporary works by Mäori artists complement interviews and information about the value to indigenous peoples of whale stranding events in New Zealand today. New Zealand is known internationally for the number of whale strandings along its coastline every year. These incidents can provide invaluable opportunities for scientists to research whale biology and also provoke an emotional community response to assist stranded creatures back into the water. The exhibition presents graphic imagery of stranding incidents in New Zealand and the sometimes opposing responses to the strandings. Carnegie Museum of Natural History is the exhibition’s third North American venue appearance; National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. was the first, followed by the Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas. Opening Events Members are invited to view the exhibition before it opens to the public. Members may also attend the Kahurangi dance performance at 1 p.m. Information on membership to Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is available at www.carnegiemuseums.org. Performance: Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre A performance by Kahurangi brings to life the ihi, or life force of the Māori, through the songs and dances that are part of the history and fabric of Māori life. Performances include chants, song, dance, and martial arts techniques, put together in an exciting program that helps impart cultural and tribal knowledge of Māori and Polynesian cultures. Kahurangi performers bring with them the stories and heritage of their individual tribal areas as they represent Aotearoa (New Zealand). Kahurangi (Cloak from Heaven) is New Zealand’s only full-time Māori Dance Theatre of professional caliber in North America. Support Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is ranked as one of the top five natural history museums in the country. It maintains, preserves, and interprets an extraordinary collection of 21 million objects and scientific specimens used to broaden understanding of evolution, conservation, and biodiversity. More information is available by calling 412.622.3131 or from the Web site, www.CarnegieMNH.org.
|
||