In January 2021, 36 Monkeys — Contemporary Alternative Art and Culture Organisation first screened the documentary “What About Bats?”. This 30-minute story about the importance of bats for the ecological balance of life on Earth was also an illustration of the interesting result from the meeting between a researcher chiropterologist, Antonia Hubancheva, and a theatre director, Gergana Dimitrova.
In continuation of this art and science combination from 12 to 19 May 2022 the visitors of the National Museum of Natural History had the opportunity to participate in the interactive guided tour with Antonia Hubancheva. The researcher from the Bat Research and Conservation Centre in the Museum tells about her latest discoveries in the field of sensory ecology, how scientific research is actually conducted and how different sciences help each other. According to sensory ecology, if we look through the eyes of different animals, we will see the world completely differently. It is not just a matter of point of view, it is also a matter of sensory organs.
However, the audience will not be just an observer, they will also be a direct participant. The many objects placed at different locations in the museum allow each participant to see and feel their surroundings through the senses of bats. They will try to hunt like them, will be able to see like them and will try to create ultrasound in the frequency of bats’ senses. Among the challenges is the task to distinguish scientific from non-scientific information.
The 36 Monkeys team creates a large-scale route between cognition and simulation in an active exhibition environment of interaction, deploying scientific facts as an essential source of understanding the world around us.
The installation includes guided tours with Antonia Hubancheva from May 12 to 19 during museum hours and a temporary exhibition “In the Little Big World of Bats” in the foyer from 1 to 31 May 2022.
The event is a part of the European Night of Museums.
CREATIVE TEAM:
authors: Antonia Hubancheva and Gergana Dimitrova
design and interactive objects: Elena Shopova
director: Gergana Dimitrova
tour guide: Antonia Hubancheva
video shooting, editing: Boryana Pandova
animation: Nikola Nalbantov
music: Pavel Terziiski
This project is implemented by 36 Monkeys — Contemporary Alternative Art and Culture Organisation with the financial support of the National Culture Fund, in partnership with the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia and Interculture Consult.