Ferdinand von Hochstetter’s New Zealand Diary published

The first New Zealand Diary by Ferdinand von Hochstetter, founder of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, is now published. The geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1829 -1884) is only one of the central figures in the history of Austrian science. His stay in New Zealand as part of the circumnavigation of the world by the … Continue reading “Ferdinand von Hochstetter’s New Zealand Diary published”

Literature and Science conference

For 2024, the annual conferences of the British Society for Literature and Science (BSLS) and the European Society for Literature, Science and the Arts (SLSAeu), together with the biennial conference of the Commission on Science and Literature (CoSciLit), will be combined into a single meeting. This will be the first time that these three societies … Continue reading “Literature and Science conference”

New photography exhibition at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

For centuries, museums have floated the idea of uniting many time levels in one place by collecting a wide variety of things and relics. The anthropologist Marc Augé (1994) refers to such “spaces of all times” as “non-places”. Places are usually characterized by identity and temporality. A non-place, on the other hand, does not have … Continue reading “New photography exhibition at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien”

Symbiosis conference 2023

The latest Symbiosis conference was held on 5-7 September at Oxford University Museum of Natural History on the theme of The Art of Natural History Museum Display. Delegates interrogated the role of dioramas and other displays in past and present practice. They presented case studies from museums in Zimbabwe, Austria and Singapore, together with poetry … Continue reading “Symbiosis conference 2023”

Tolkien and science at Oxford University Museum

Members of the Symbiosis network from the University of Birmingham and Oxford University Museum of Natural History have been collaborating on a pair of public engagement events looking at connections between the fantasy fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien and modern palaeontology, including recreating Tolkien’s 1938 lecture on dragons for the first time. To read more, click … Continue reading “Tolkien and science at Oxford University Museum”

The Unnatural History Museum

Dr Verity Burke from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland is convening a series of online seminars entitled THE UNNATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: MEDIATING NATURE IN THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION. Here is the full programme of events: The first session, on extinction, is on Wednesday 19 October at 5 p.m. Irish/UK time. Here is the link to … Continue reading “The Unnatural History Museum”

Symbiosis conference

The Symbiosis network met for our latest conference at the Hall of Biodiversity in Porto in September to discuss trans-continental and trans-cultural collaborations. Representatives of the museums and universities already involved in Symbiosis were joined by the directors of the national museums and natural history museums of Brazil, Zimbabwe and Angola and the head of … Continue reading “Symbiosis conference”

A Story in Stone

A new book has been published on the fabric and geology of one of our partner museums, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. To see more, click on this link: https://www.gravestonegeology.uk/books_a_story_in_stone.php

Symbiosis features in climate report

The new University of Birmingham report Keeping 1.5oC Alive has recently been launched at the House of Lords in the UK, including discussion of the work of Symbiosis and a policy recommendation for the arts and humanities to play a role alongside the sciences in helping to address climate change. To read the report, click … Continue reading “Symbiosis features in climate report”