Sunday, October 28, 2012

field wunderkammer

One of the themes I was thinking of developing with my wunderkammer was finding particular animals whose physical characteristics have inspired or been captured in mythology, folklore, or fables. While I was at the Lincoln Park Zoo I really enjoyed one of the plaques for the Sichuan Takin (big white goat) that said its fur may have been the inspiration behind the myth of the "golden fleece." I'm thinking that it could be interesting (for me and whoever experiences my wunderkammer) to tie natural history to staples of our recorded culture, many of which come from a time where we had less understanding about the inner workings of many animals and their sometimes complex needs for survival, but we had their physical characteristics, which is what we are given at the Field Museum as opposed to the LPZ, where we can see them move and interact with other animals.

-guillermo

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