"ROCK FOSSILS" from November in Chemnitz
An exhibition reveals the love between palaeontology and heavy metal
On 18 May 2016 at 11 a.m., the Museum für Naturkunde will welcome the "Metal Heart" by the band Accept as the centrepiece of a spectacular exhibition at TIETZ, Moritzstraße 20. "ROCK FOSSILS - Ja es ist Liebe!" is the name of the show that the museum is currently preparing and will be on show and to be heard at the TIETZ in November 2016. The exhibition features sensational fossil finds and models of long-extinct creatures, all of which are named after rock stars.
Representatives of the media are cordially invited to accompany the arrival of the "Metal Heart". Immortalised on a record cover, this sculpture represents a milestone in rock music. The curator of natural sciences, Dr Thorid Zierold, will give a first insight into the exciting supporting programme of the "ROCK FOSSILS" exhibition.
There are obviously a lot of scientists in palaeontology who not only love fossils, but also indulge in rock music with the same passion - rock music of a rather harder kind. Achim Reisdorf is a researcher, music producer and dedicated metal fan. As scientific director of the "ROCK FOSSILS" exhibition, he reveals the secret of the love affair between palaeontology and rock music in an entertaining way.
The special exhibition at the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz will present over thirty fossil species bearing the names of musicians from the rock scene. For example, that of "Lemmy" Killmister, who was already a legend during his lifetime. His fossilised colleague, the eerily beautiful bristle worm Kalloprion kilmisteri, breathes rock 'n' roll. The worm's maw, open as if to scream, inevitably triggers a metal head concert.
In the exhibition, visitors get to know the fossil, the rock star as inspiration and the scientist who gave it its name. On display are original fossils, oversized fossil reconstructions, vinyl records, record covers, all kinds of metal murals and information boards in German and English. Audio stations provide the appropriate acoustic stimuli.
The Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz is bringing the exhibition to Saxony. It was first shown at the Geomuseum Faxe in Denmark. The exhibition was conceptualised, professionally developed and designed by Jesper Milàn (curator at the Geomuseum Faxe, Denmark), 10Tons - models and paleontological reconstructions (Denmark), Rune Fjord Studio (Denmark), Mats Eriknemark), Mats Eriksson (Professor of Palaeontology at the University of Lund, Sweden), Natural History Museum Bern and Achim Reisdorf (scientific director of the exhibition in Bern, Switzerland).
For further information please contact:
Dr Thorid Zierold
Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, Deputy Director, Curator Natural Sciences
Telephone: 0371 488-4552
E-mail: zierold(at)naturkunde-chemnitz.de