The Power of Natural History: Historian Lukas Rieppel in Conversation with Recapturing the Scenic Wilds Artists, November 15
Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center located in the northwestern corner of the Bronx, is delighted to welcome cultural historian Lukas Rieppel, Assistant Professor of History at Brown University, for an afternoon of broad-ranging, provocative conversation. Dr. Rieppel opens the afternoon with a presentation about his work on the development of the natural history museum. Following his presentation, he is joined by Richard Barnes, Hugh Hayden and Lori Nix, three of the artists exhibiting work in Wave Hill’s fall exhibition, Recapturing the Scenic Wilds, for a panel discussion that will touch upon the intersection of science, art and history.
Presentation: An authority on the intersection of the history of science and the history of capitalism, and especially the life sciences in the 19th and 20th centuries, Dr. Rieppel’s research into dinosaur displays has revealed that they functioned as a kind of “mixed-media sculpture,” freely combining plaster replicas with real fossils. The 19th–century natural history display raised important issues of authority, such as the cultural obsession with the predatory power of dinosaurs, and authenticity, including, for instance, the balance between theatrical dioramas and scientific fact. Dr. Rieppel’s presentation will touch on the role that cultural elites of the time, figures such as former Wave Hill resident Theodore Roosevelt, played in the invention of the natural wilderness as we see it today.
Discussion: Using Dr. Rieppel’s presentation as a springboard, scholar and artists will engage in a conversation that considers the historical and theoretical concerns underlying the discipline of natural history—and the contemporary art practices that this complex field inspires.
For years, Richard Barnes has used his lens to capture natural history museums in moments of repair or closure. Often his images suggest punishment, torture or imprisonment for the taxidermy subjects. Hugh Hayden works with animal patterns and coverings, whether fur or feathers, to subvert the narrative of the great American wilderness through references to contemporary urban life. Lori Nix builds and photographs fictive museums of “unnatural history” with a rich sense of humor and invention.
The afternoon concludes with an in situ tour of the gallery with the artists and Dr. Rieppel. This event is free with admission to the grounds. Reservations strongly recommended; visit www.wavehill.org to reserve a seat.
Recapturing the Scenic Wilds, closing December 7, is inspired by the naturalist legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, a former resident of Wave Hill House who had a lifelong passion for discovering and collecting specimens for public exhibit. Featuring work by Richard Barnes, Mark Dion, Hugh Hayden, Liselot van der Heijden, Alexa Hoyer, Dana Levy, Ruth Marshall, Lori Nix and Jessica Segall, Recapturing the Scenic Wilds investigates—and complicates—the notion of the natural history display.
What: The Power of Natural History: Historian and Artist Panel
Where: Wave Hill, West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, Bronx, New York
When: Saturday, November 15, 2PM
Fee: Free with admission to the grounds. Reservations strongly recommended.
Support for the Visual Arts Program at Wave Hill is provided by the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation; The New York Community Trust; the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and by the Cathy and Stephen Weinroth Commissioning Fund for the Arts. The Institution’s operations are made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Tags:
