If you are at a loss for something to do this month, you might consider a trip to the incredible dinosaur exhibition currently on show at the A.T.C. The Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a treat for all the family, even those who are not that crazy about dinosaurs. The title is apt since this exhibition spans the Triassic Era from 245 to 208 million years ago. The first dinosaurs began to appear around 228 million years ago, the middle of the Triassic Era. These were not the giant dinosaurs which were to dominate the Jurassic Era (208 to 146 million years ago), but they are large and frightening enough to make for a dramatic exhibition.
The foyer of the exhibition hall is graced by the fearsome presence of a dynamically posed franrascus, at eight metres long one of the largest dinosaurs of the Triassic Era. Positioned as he is beside a spiral staircase, one is treated to a full 360 degree view of this awesome creature from above and below. You certainly wouldn't get such an opportunity if this monster were as real as he appears to be.
The first exhibit you encounter upon entering the museum is this skeleton of a dikinodon. This model sets the tone for the entire exhibition. In the darkness of the museum, the stark lighting gives this skeleton an overwhelming sense of drama, although the posture is less dynamic than that of most of the other exhibits. This lack of animation is made up for by the presence of some impressive C.G. footage presented on one of the many large digital T.V. screens which provide an added dimension to many of the other exhibits.
A better example of the kind of dynamic posing on display at this exhibition is seen in this photograph of the ferocious herrarausaurus which greets you as you enter the second room. This is one of the many dinosaurs caught in what the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson called the "decisive moment," giving one the feeling that at any moment these creatures might suddenly leap into action. It is testimony to the high level of artistry of the craftsmen responsible for these exhibits that, for all their scientific accuracy and anatomical precision, they have seemingly been rendered by an auteur of theatre, cinema, photography and drama.
Another fine example of dramatic lighting and the "decisive moment" is this exhibit portraying a franrascus running down the eighteen meter long remesaurus, the largest dinosaur in this exhibition. Look into the franrascus' "eyes" and you can see exactly what his next move is going to be, can't you? If not, the C.G. movie presented alongside this exhibit shows the entire course of this hunt, from first sighting to bloody, fatal end.
This diorama shows a family of exaeratodons. The exaeratodon is one of the mammalian creatures which arose during the Carnian-Age of the Upper Triassic. These rather ugly herbivores are clearly oblivious to the fact that they are about to become the focus of a pitched battle between a hungry frenguillaurus and a ravenous dikinidon, arguably the most dramatic of all the scenes portrayed in the exhibition.
The encounter seen above makes a dramatically and chronologically appropriate climax to the exhibition set, as it is, near the close of the Carnian-Age which marked the end of the Triassic Era. This era ended with an event, possibly a comet or meteor impacting the Earth, which wiped out many of the creatures which had dominated the Triassic Era. This left me eagerly anticipating the exhibitions which could follow this stunning opening episode of an epic trilogy. I now look forward to "Daytime of the Dinosaurs" for the Jurassic Era (208 million years ago to 146 million years ago) and "Twilight of the Dinosaurs" for the Cretacious Era (146 million years ago to 65 million years ago.) I, for one, cannot wait. Be there, or be extinct!
No comments:
Post a Comment