Experiencing nature

“The dimension of the entire setup, the naturalistic quality and authenticity of the rainforest habitat are unique, leading to an extremely natural, intensive, and also immersive experience. Visitors are able to stand in the rainforest, see other people in the canopy, and discover the diversity of nature.

At the same time, this serves as a stage for emotions. We want to awaken feelings and enable powerful experiences that come close to an experience of nature rather than merely playing footage on a projection screen. We offer a mixture of discovery, arousing fascination, creating aesthetics, and discreetly conveying information. We provide an insight into research by talking about the methods and aims of science and highlighting its limitations and gaps.

The exhibition is made unique by its mixture of accessible three-dimensional exhibits and the integrated audio and video stations that provide additional information. We point out the global relevance of this ecosystem and show it in technically complex, interactive exhibits such as a consumer table.

Visitors learn about their influence on the loss of nature and the actions they can – and should – take to make a difference in participatory programmes. This has enabled us to convey the content of the rainforest exhibition in a particularly multi-layered manner.”

Dr Thomas Gerken, Exhibition Director, Bonn, and Corinna Seibt, Exhibition Conception and Project Manager “Rainforest Exhibition”

Perfect staging

Original or copy? Nature or art? Evolution or manual labour? Real tree trunks, lianas, canopy branches, termite mounds, and fallen leaves from the African rainforests of Gabon and Ghana form the basis of the staging in the Museum Koenig Bonn’s rainforest, which has been faithfully reproduced down to the smallest detail. The exhibition team collected more than 1,600 different types of leaves from over 90 plant species on site for the “undergrowth” and “canopy” areas. Taxidermists moulded every single leaf individually in the museum studio in order to produce well over 100,000 plastic leaves using the thermoforming process, colour them, add feeding marks and leaf growths, and mount them on branches. They modelled a vast variety of flowers and mushrooms exactly according to natural models. More than 80 species of animals are integrated into the overall rainforest presentation, with their characteristics described, as well as more than 400 insects and other arthropods from the African rainforest. Combining science and taxidermy, the detailed replica of the rainforest presents itself as a perfect setup.