The Dinosaurs Of Darkness Exhibition
(Dinosaurs Under Auroras)
In the past three decades a series of new discoveries in Australia, Antarctica, Alaska and South America have forever changed our views on how some dinosaurs lived. Not all were inhabitants of steaming, tropical swamps. Some survived near the North and South Poles and braving the long, dark polar nights, which lasted more than 3 months each year. Temperatures dipped low in these places. Such polar dinosaurs are the focus of this exhibition.
Polar dinosaurs from four continents (Australia(including New Zealand and the Chatham Islands), Antarctica, South America and North America) are featured in this exhibition. As well, the exhibition includes fossil plants, microscope slides with pollen and spores and rocks that allow the visitor to reconstruct the environments which nurtured these polar denizens. Panels as well as "scavenger hunts" and trails allow (and lead) visitors to draw their own conclusions about these past environments. And to assist the visitors there are photographs, reconstruction art, models, soundscapes and documentaries as part of the exhibition.
Although principally to introduce the visitor to this "Lost World" with no modern counterpart and to the scientific research that has led to its recognition and detailed reconstruction, the exhibit also strives to help the visitor think about climatic change both past, present and future. Such change led to the demise of most dinosaurs, but it is also a pressing problem of the world today. This exhibition poses questions which humans need to think about, in depth with a dinosaur’s experience!
Size
Approximately 400m2, but can be arranged to fit into a smaller or larger space.
Components
- More than 150 specimens of fossils and geological specimens (including original and cast material) both fragmentary and full skeletal material. Skeletons are mounted in dynamic poses - in many cases interacting with one another.
- 50 information panels (Full colour 500mm wide x 1000mm high)
- Art works of Peter Trusler depicting palaeoenvironment as well as preliminary sketches to show how art work is accomplished (including both original and prints).
- Framed postage stamps that were inspired by the polar dinosaurs material of Australia from Australia Post.
- Photographs of the localities in Alaska, Antarctica, Australia, South America where material was collected.
- Slides of Pollen and Spores.
- Fleshed out models of some dinosaurs (including those featured on the Australia Post stamp series published in 1993), on polar dinosaurs.
- All furniture and protective acrylic barrier panels.
- Documentaries of collection of material (on loan from Quantum, the BBC, PaleoWorld).
- Module on the production of casts from original material.
- Education Kit, Catalogue, Scavenger Hunt and Flick Book templates.
Installation/ Costs
The typical costs to host this exhibition for four months are $98,000. This charge comprises: $ freight + $ installation fee + $15,000 monthly rental fee. These fees are negotiated on a venue by venue basis.
The installation fee for the exhibition includes three technicians to come and set the exhibition up in your venue (and then remove it at the end of its stay). Separate room accommodation for the duration of the setup and takedown is to be provided by the venue. We will train your floor staff in the use of our educational material, as well as familiarise them with the exhibition.
With prior arrangement the Director of the exhibition (Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich, who is a palaeontologist carrying out work in Alaska, Australia and South America) will be available to give a large public lecture, if it is useful as a fundraiser for your venue, and to offer teacher inservice sessions if this will assist in supporting your schools programs.
Exhibition-related Products
Books –
"Dinosaurs of Darkness" (Indiana University Press)
“100 Years of Dinosaurs”(Queen Victoria Museum).
“Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia” (Pioneer Design & Monash University )
“Little Yellow Book of Australian Dinosaurs” ( Kangaroo Press )
“Wildlife of Gondwana” (Indiana University Press)
Australia’s Lost World (Kangaroo Press)
Educational Support Material
70 page education kit including, age-appropriate scavenger hunts, Dinosaur Flick book templates and junior and senior exhibition related activities.
Educational products associated with the exhibition are available for resale. These items include a catalogue and casts of some of the material on display. The Dinosaur Box, which deals with Australia's polar dinosaurs is also available. These are provided at a wholesale rate.
Availability
To date this exhibition has been displayed at the following venues:
RAPID CITY South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, USA
March 23 - July 8, 2001 (@ 9,000 attendees)
MESA Mesa Southwest Museum, USA
9 March-13 May 2002. (@35,285 attendees,)
FUKUI Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Japan
19 July – 15 September 2003 (@ 100,000 attendees)
SEATTLE Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, USA
March 25 – Oct 10, 2004 (@ 27,000 attendees)
ANCHORAGE Alaska Museum of Natural History, USA
1 April 2005 - 05 September 2005 (@10,000 attendees)
TAICHUNG National Museum of Science, Taiwan
23 December 2005 - 23 April 2006 (@ 1.4 million attendees)
SINGAPORE Singapore Science Centre
20 May 2006 – 20 August 2006 (@ 110,000 attendees)
This exhibition has been generously supported by:
Qantas Freight
Blunstone
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