BY CARSON DESHEVY-RENOUF
THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener held a grand opening on March 7 for its newest exhibit, Dinosaurs: The Edge of Extinction. This exhibit is giving guests the chance to walk among the famous beasts of the Cretaceous era.
The exhibit is made up of over 20 pieces, with some colossally notable ones. A hulking Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops occupy the third floor of the museum, giving perspective to how massive the creatures were in comparison to your everyday aspiring paleontologist. In addition, a giant Pterosaur hangs motionless, but equally lifelike in THEMUSEUM’s main atrium.
Nicole Reindl, a gallery attendant, said in an email, “There are also a handful of interactive components (some will not be going up until the summer due to alterations in our floor plan so stay tuned) including the Twerkasaurus where visitors can control the movements of a robotic dinosaur and see its inner workings.”
The exhibit in its entirety aims to give guests the ability to understand every aspect of the Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops’ lives, from birth and infancy to their untimely extinction. The interactive pieces include constructed skulls that allow visitors to see through the eyes of these titans, moulds of the dinosaurs’ brains, along with many other pieces that round out the exhibit.
“The pieces were developed by a Canadian group in partnership with the Royal Botanical Gardens. It has been displayed at the RBG and recently in Niagara Falls at the Skylon Tower. (It was originally named Battle of the Titans but we have changed it for our exhibition),” Reindl said.
As mentioned by Reindl, the exhibit will be evolving over time, as new additions will be made to both the content and the programming. Throughout the exhibit’s life, there will be “a daily programming component that includes animatronic dinosaur puppets.” Although, as a sample video provided by Reindl suggested, it is obvious to adults that the dinosaurs are puppets, children believe that they are real and have, in the past, loved interacting with them.
The exhibit will carry on through spring, summer and fall until it reaches its closing on Thanksgiving weekend. Until then, however, dinosaurs will not be the only big attraction within the museum’s walls.
“At the same time as Dinosaurs: The Edge of Extinction, we are opening an exhibition of Canadian contemporary nude art from the Canada Council Art Bank called Getting Naked … Over the summer we will have the Summer of Discovery which will overlap with Dinosaurs. It will include a number of family, fun, interactive displays and smaller exhibits.” Reindl said.
THEMUSEUM plans to bring in multiple activities and exhibits during the summer, from a balloon room to “a great science exhibit called Science + You,” and everything in between.
“We haven’t gotten confirmed plans for fall 2015 but we will be putting something together that goes along with the International Year of Light that is going on this year,” Reindl said.
For hours, rates and more information about Dinosaurs: The Edge of Extinction, or other upcoming exhibits, visit www.themuseum.ca.
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