Skulls exhibition and more at the Californian Academy of Sciences

Our excursion out to the Academy was an eventful trip fraught with traveler mishaps and frustration. We basically
blundered our way to it, eventually, following several kilometers of aimless wandering caused by getting off the bus too
early. We were very turned around and a bit rudderless, needless to say we had very little trouble getting back as we'd
worked everything out that we'd done wrong by then. Still, when you do stuff up in your travels like this you get to see
much more than anticipated. We ended up at the bottom of the huge Golden Gate Park, formerly 7miles of sand dunes
and converted over many years into beautiful forest and park land. At one point we walked through an area filled
with the fragrance of lemon scented gums and were immediately reminded of home.
The Academy houses several exhibits of note along with much much more but I will touch on the three exhibitions that
really were outstanding for me.

"Dinosaurs"
A huge dinosaur display consists mostly of true fossils plus some casts that augmented interpretation. Fun and instructive
interactions made for enjoyable viewing; of the exhibits, and the smaller visitors: these interactives ranged from making a dinosaur
roar to comparative measurements of foot prints. Several complete dinosaurs assisted in describing the palaeontological record.
A significant experience was delivered by the fact that the display was substantial and the fossils were real. Children were
asking "..is this really real?" of the bones and happily the adults in company could confirm this was the case.

"Skulls"
One of the best small thematic exhibitions I've seen in a long time. The curators and designers got it right with the materials
and budget they had. One wall, see the image below left, was a mass of Sea lion skulls displayed in a wave pattern.
The effect was amazing and a quiz asked viewers to pick out the "odd" skulls, 4 "Snow Wolf" skulls were hiding within
the wave and a visual task asked that you pick them out and describe how they actually differed from the Sea Lion skulls.
A text panel explained the question many viewers may ask.."Why so many Sea Lion skulls anyway?", basically the decision
by the Academy or any institution to collect such a large number of the same variety of specimen is to indeed reveal the
the evolutionary record of such a species and from that record, attributable effects upon all life. With a major part of the
Sea Lion skull collection on display the argument for substantial collection is clear, though with this the realisation
that in merely studying a creature man can contribute quite significantly to diminishing its population. Lucky (or unluckily)
for Sea Lions they are still plentiful. On an opposing wall horned skulled creatures came into the picture with dramatic effect.
The entry wall demonstrated how humans have included skulls in their arts and folk lore throughout pre history and history.
The many cases in the middle covered species and interspecial contrasts with skull development, including a fine selection of
hominid skulls. A simply gorgeous photographic catalogue accompanied this exhibition launched during the Halloween holiday
period for maximum effect.

"X-Ray Ichthyology"
Another equally noteworthy exhibition is that concerned with the display in exhibition of x-ray's used primarily for the interpretation
of Ichthyology specimens. A large elephant's skull is too displayed to offer a terrestrial contrast of great beauty. Back lit perspex panels
surround the viewer with a result that arguably eclipses the efforts of most art installation artists. The effect is such that the viewer understands
how dedicated scientific study and fine art can be one and the same thing. I could not see a catalogue on this one but will keep checking
the website to find out more.
http://www.calacademy.org

The Academy is also the home to The Foucault Pendulum invented by physicist, Jean Bernard Foucault to describe the earth's rotation -
"Although the pendulum seems to change its path during the day, it is actually the floor beneath it that is moving." Yet another example
of where science meets art. The Academy is well worth any efforts expended to visit. It is a repository where the muses do live.

image © lee-anne raymond	image © lee-anne raymond
image © lee-anne raymond	image © lee-anne raymond
image © lee-anne raymond	image © lee-anne raymond
image © lee-anne raymond