Public Collections and Co-Curation

New perspectives on natural history collections

With the public collections of Mammal Skulls and Deer and Bovids, the museum has, for the first time, opened up collection galleries that were previously not accessible to the public as part of its museum programme.

Both galleries follow the concept of the Public Collection: they are hybrid spaces that serve both scientific research and engagement with the public. The exhibition team deliberately worked with the collection as it had evolved over time – retaining its scientific organisation, historical labels and, in some cases, the original furnishings. The aim was not to re-stage the collection, but to make its structure, history and function comprehensible to visitors.

In keeping with the ethos of an open, integrated research museum, the museum developed the concept for both galleries through a participatory process. Visitors and external partners were actively involved in the development process.

The history of the collection played a central role in this: around 70 to 80 per cent of the objects entered the collection during the German colonial era via colonial networks. This history is still reflected today, amongst other things, in the historical labels on many of the objects.

Against this backdrop, a co-curation process with international partners became an essential part of the exhibition concept. Through an open call and TheMuseumsLab’s network, the museum recruited nine co-curators from African countries – including Tanzania, Namibia, Cameroon and Egypt. Together with the exhibition team, they developed new perspectives on the collection and enriched the exhibition with viewpoints from the objects’ regions of origin.

The project builds on the development of theexhibition*ZUGvögel – A Collection in Motion*, in which more than 350 people were involved. The special exhibition addresses their questions regarding the provenance and origin of the objects in a dedicated thematic cluster.

‘Mammal Skulls’ Research Collection

Themes and Objects

Working together, the participants developed various thematic clusters, each centred on a specific object from the collection. Each of these objects is displayed in one of the ‘windows’ within the collection display cases. Each object on display is accompanied by two separate stories, which stand on their own. In total, the ‘Mammal Skulls’ gallery comprises 19 windows. 

The individual narratives do not follow a chronological order. Instead, the respective object always serves as the starting point from which different contexts, meanings and perspectives come to light. Thus, stories about animal species and their characteristics, historical and critical analyses of how they were acquired, and their cultural significance in their regions of origin are deliberately placed side by side.

Often, a simple question marks the beginning: ‘What is this?’ From each object or animal species, a multitude of answers unfold, leading to very different stories. In this way, the exhibition embraces the idea that natural history collections can – and should – be viewed from different perspectives.

A central focus is on the critical examination of the collection objects and the stories associated with them. The exhibition highlights the colonial interconnections between collecting, research and the production of knowledge. It also addresses the influence of other political systems – such as Nazi ideology – on research and scientific practice. These perspectives deliberately counter the long-held assumption that natural history research collections are ‘neutral’.

Furthermore, the exhibition highlights alternative – in particular cultural, spiritual and everyday – meanings of animal species and animal materials in their regions of origin – a key focus of the content developed in collaboration with the co-curators.