I recall recently I was hearing news about some places of education in the UK being involved in some rather questionable and frustrating things. I won't be naming names, to say, it's a very well-known UK educational visitor attraction you most likely would've heard of, but it was enough to send me into a realm of frustration, that things could be done better.
To send me into a state of thought that said, 'something has to be done about this. The public deserves a place where they know they can get real education about the natural world, but all the while keep it engaging.'
I have been thinking about zoo layouts in my head as far as I can remember - the zoos I drew as a young child being detailed with bordered areas for 'all the animals which mattered to my mental lexicon' ... I can almost picture it in my head, all these years later.
In my state of rebellion, as an older child who felt, 'there needs to be something different! It's all the same....' the zoo I conceptualized around this time had quite a few of the more unusual critters I longed for ... though nothing too unusual.
In later years, when I conceptualized zoos, I tried to have things to scale, to have engaging things, and now having been to a few more zoos and seeing their structure, I am not entirely sure where to begin.
I recall several of my older zoos bore resemblance to places like Marwell or London [not the most sensible coparison of all, but try to bear with me ...] simply because they were the places which I had been to the most. Gratituously large fields for small animals [incl. a sizable field for aardvark and meerkat] were some of my conceptions, and this was until I saw some more things, that opened my eyes to see that - not all zoos looked like Marwell, to put it. These days whenever I try to put an idea of a zoo down on paper I always struggle - worried that whatever I draw will merely have the enclosures rowed up like, say, supermarket aisles without proper placement ... such designs that may induce claustrophobic tendencies in some.
Two maps of mine, with a hint of a sense of scale but not quite. The second one, which I drew later methinks doesn't have too much claustrophobia. Though I think they are quite nicely spaced out and logical compared to one of my brainthoughts regarding a Marwell of fantasy ...
The less one dwells on it, the better methinks.
One thing I have trouble thinking of is how it would be organised. I don't particularly have a strong preference when it comes to displaying either taxonomic groups together, or displaying based on continent. The zoo I conceptualized during my 'era of rebellion' was one I never really put down on paper, maybe for the betterment, though I recall it basically tried to fit in every continent [incl. Antarctica] with enough 'cool animals' to round them all out. One curious thought I had was one of a replica of an American city with an urban house-style skunk and raccoon exhibit ... multiple tropical houses [one of which having a harpy eagle] ... a giant golden mole that was exhibited however possible ... a display of beluga and narwhal skeletons in a north pole-themed opening ... all in the boundaries of the same zoo. And many more!! Looking back on it it may well have been the best thing to happen to the zoo world in the last century in my head ... but now it all feels rather disconcerting.
And so it is in my potential headzoo I think of now I hope, perhaps to provide for hypothetical guests something of an engaging, educational - memorable - experience, something which leaves guests not only with eye candy one day, but for interesting afterthoughts the day after, as well as providing sleek way of movement. The informational material would be on a range of topics, from taxonomy to behavioural traits and roles in human culture. What does one think the logical way would be to design a place such as this ? I would be interested in hearing your opinions.
To send me into a state of thought that said, 'something has to be done about this. The public deserves a place where they know they can get real education about the natural world, but all the while keep it engaging.'
I have been thinking about zoo layouts in my head as far as I can remember - the zoos I drew as a young child being detailed with bordered areas for 'all the animals which mattered to my mental lexicon' ... I can almost picture it in my head, all these years later.
In my state of rebellion, as an older child who felt, 'there needs to be something different! It's all the same....' the zoo I conceptualized around this time had quite a few of the more unusual critters I longed for ... though nothing too unusual.
In later years, when I conceptualized zoos, I tried to have things to scale, to have engaging things, and now having been to a few more zoos and seeing their structure, I am not entirely sure where to begin.
I recall several of my older zoos bore resemblance to places like Marwell or London [not the most sensible coparison of all, but try to bear with me ...] simply because they were the places which I had been to the most. Gratituously large fields for small animals [incl. a sizable field for aardvark and meerkat] were some of my conceptions, and this was until I saw some more things, that opened my eyes to see that - not all zoos looked like Marwell, to put it. These days whenever I try to put an idea of a zoo down on paper I always struggle - worried that whatever I draw will merely have the enclosures rowed up like, say, supermarket aisles without proper placement ... such designs that may induce claustrophobic tendencies in some.
Two maps of mine, with a hint of a sense of scale but not quite. The second one, which I drew later methinks doesn't have too much claustrophobia. Though I think they are quite nicely spaced out and logical compared to one of my brainthoughts regarding a Marwell of fantasy ...
The less one dwells on it, the better methinks.
One thing I have trouble thinking of is how it would be organised. I don't particularly have a strong preference when it comes to displaying either taxonomic groups together, or displaying based on continent. The zoo I conceptualized during my 'era of rebellion' was one I never really put down on paper, maybe for the betterment, though I recall it basically tried to fit in every continent [incl. Antarctica] with enough 'cool animals' to round them all out. One curious thought I had was one of a replica of an American city with an urban house-style skunk and raccoon exhibit ... multiple tropical houses [one of which having a harpy eagle] ... a giant golden mole that was exhibited however possible ... a display of beluga and narwhal skeletons in a north pole-themed opening ... all in the boundaries of the same zoo. And many more!! Looking back on it it may well have been the best thing to happen to the zoo world in the last century in my head ... but now it all feels rather disconcerting.
And so it is in my potential headzoo I think of now I hope, perhaps to provide for hypothetical guests something of an engaging, educational - memorable - experience, something which leaves guests not only with eye candy one day, but for interesting afterthoughts the day after, as well as providing sleek way of movement. The informational material would be on a range of topics, from taxonomy to behavioural traits and roles in human culture. What does one think the logical way would be to design a place such as this ? I would be interested in hearing your opinions.