Life In The Dark
Natural History Museum Lates : Last Friday of every month
Cromwell Rd, Kensington, London SW7 5BD
13 JULY 2018 – 9 JANUARY 2019 £13.00 (£7.50 with National Art Pass)
The Natural History Museum has not only replaced its dinosaur skeleton with that of a blue whale, it is also digging into the dark depths of the ocean for its new exhibition: Life in the Dark.
The exhibition explores the rocky underworld of the ocean, as well as many land based nocturnal animals. It is a chance for us to explore animals we rarely encounter, and may not even know exist; opening our eyes to creatures which survive in the most unimaginably difficult conditions. From discovering how eyeless fish navigate the dark ocean floor, to immersing yourself in a bat cave - you’re guaranteed to be intrigued.
We went to the exhibition for Natural History Museum late on a Friday afternoon to celebrate the end of the working week, and to escape the blindingly hot sun we’ve been having by retreating into the shadows of the underworld. Lates at the museum are held on the last Friday of every month, and give those 9-5ers the chance to see great art after work, saving you from getting on the tube for any more days than you need to. Not only are the exhibitions available to view, but entrance to the museum is free and you can enjoy talks, science demos, food and drinks: making this a truly thrilling, diverse and cultural experience.
The exhibition was composed mainly of preserved nocturnal animals, many of which I’d never heard of, scarcely knew existed. There were some taxidermy models of fox’s and badgers for the kids (and me) to stroke, as well as video installations of these animal’s active at night. The exhibition explores the senses of touch, taste and smell and how these are adapted to the specific conditions and how these animals use them to their advantage. It also showed the difference in sight between us and them and how this allows them to exist mainly in darkness.
By far the most interesting section of the exhibition was the area exploring the deep ocean. Reminiscent of Attenborough’s ‘The Deep’ episode in the most recent Blue Planet, this part explored sea creatures who live in a constant state of darkness due to the depths they inhabit. A large projection recording of deep-sea divers was displayed and introduced us to unique fish, such as the frog fish and dumbo octopus (both of which were absolutely adorable). As well as this was an immersive room, displaying bioluminescence and allowing us to experience the effects it has underwater: this itself was absolutely beautiful and done very well.
Despite the exhibition introducing us to some new and interesting creatures, I must say I preferred Attenborough’s version. Whilst the exhibition was informative and varied, it didn’t manage to grab my attention as Attenborough did. Admittedly, the exhibition is catering for an incredibly varied audience and does have to engage both children and adults, so there may be something lost in this. Still worth a visit though – especially with the kids!
OVERALL RATING: ***
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/life-in-the-dark.html
