Special Exhibitions

During her visits to Messel and in discussions with researchers from the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Maria Loboda discovered an artesian well that bubbles up without any technical assistance. It is of secondary interest to the research being conducted at the site and stands in striking contrast to the location and the fossils. Loboda began to delve deeper into the history of the pit, its significance for paleontology, paleoecosystem research, paleoclimate research, and the history of the well. The film is the result of this artistic research. It weaves all these areas together into a fictional narrative and focuses on human constructions of the world and the environment, science, technology, and art.

In the film, Loboda—who describes herself as a contemporary archaeologist—explores her experiences and reflections on the Messel fossil site and the Eocene epoch. The world-famous Messel fossils, such as the primitive horse, as well as primates, fish, insects, plants, and reptiles, date from this period. The state of preservation of some fossils includes stomach contents and soft-body outlines as well as fur and feathers, which makes the site so extraordinarily significant. The site is unique worldwide not only for the history and present of paleontology but also for historical biodiversity research. The political developments—from plans to turn the pit into a landfill to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995—are also remarkable.

The film and the installation mark the start of a series of exhibitions and events that showcase artists’ perspectives on the natural sciences and nature. “Artists’ exploration of the world opens up entirely new approaches to topics in the natural sciences and to the research conducted at Senckenberg,” says museum director Dr. Brigitte Franzen. “The power of artistic perspectives, research, and images is an important and equal reservoir for experimental thinking in the natural history museum of the future,” she continues. Building this bridge is a key focus of the exhibitions at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum this year and will continue to shape the museum’s work in the years to come.

To kick off the event on March 30, 2023, the film “The Machine” will celebrate its world premiere; in addition to screenings at the Senckenberg Cinema, it will also be shown in the atrium among the dinosaurs, accompanied by live music from Leona Jacewska.

With this project, Loboda is the first recipient of the Ottilie Roederstein Fellowship from the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art.