Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Yesterday, a friend and I went to see the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center. Apparently, the exhibit had received prominent coverage in the LA Times and the NY Times, but I was blissfully unaware of this. When my friend briefly told me about the exhibit, I assumed the display would include an intricate ark in miniature, with myriad animals on or boarding the vessel. Imagine my delighted surprise when I walked into the exhibit space and found myself immersed in a hands-on, interactive experience populated with animals of all shapes and sizes made from found objects! The creativity that went into this project was awe-inspiring. I marveled at the amazing artistry of the puppet-sculptures even as my inner child gleefully emerged to create mini-cyclones, generate rainstorms, and animate various creatures by pulling levers, pumping hydraulic systems, and spinning wheels. The place truly is designed for kids of all ages.

Here are some pictures I took while wandering (and playing) through the exhibit.


Notice how the elephant's trunk is fashioned out of bamboo baskets, the kind commonly used to steam dim sum! His feet are made from steel drums, and although you can't see it in this picture, he has a "gong-able" heart. The deer's ears are shoe horns, the zebras' bodies are rotating turbines, and their manes are made from organ keys. Talk about clever usage of materials!






This picture shows part of the ark. You can load the ramp with foam animal pairs and send them up to "board" the vessel. How can one not feel like a kid again surrounded by all these cool contraptions and toys?!









More animals on the ark...

Check out the crocodile made from a viola case! And the flamingos below it have purses for bodies, fly swatters for legs, and combs for feathers on their wings.

More cool animals...



















At first, we had trouble figuring out what these brown critters were. We just thought it was cool that they had boxing gloves as bodies. Finally, I realized that these were kiwis! How cute! For more great images, check out the Skirball's website. (The penguin and hedgehog are amazing, not to mention adorable!)