'Extinctions!?' exhibition programme autumn 2023

In light of the ongoing climate crisis and its impact on biodiversity, questions and fears of endangerment and loss are at the centre of public discourse. A sixth major extinction event is expected in the course of the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is the age in which humans become the most important factor influencing the biological, geological and atmospheric processes of the Earth. More on the exhibition

Story time with the Grandparents For Future: "Der Maulwurf Grabowski " by Luis Murschetz

Workshop for children (3 to 6 years), Tue, 26 September, 3 pm

Ursula Berger reads "Der Maulwurf Grabowski" by Luis Murschetz for you. The mole Grabowski lives contentedly in his high place under a beautiful meadow. But little by little the idyll changes. Things get restless in the meadow, the meadow is surveyed and construction machines move in. In the end, Grabowski has to flee and look for a new home.

Ursula Berger has been actively involved in Grandparents For Future since 2020.
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Duration: 45 min Meeting place: FamilyPoint in the Hall of Columns
Participation: free (admission to the Hall of Columns is free of charge) No registration

Wilhelm Raabe und Peter Rosegger
Reading Circle with Elisabeth Salinger

Thu, 28 September, 4 pm and Fri, 29 September, 11 am

Wilhelm Raabe and Peter Rosegger are authors whose messages are still relevant today and can be read "against the grain". What do they have to say in times of climate crisis? How do their solutions differ from those we see today? What questions would we like to ask them today?

At this event, you will hear excerpts from Pfisters Mühle by Wilhelm Raabe (1884) and from Jakob der Letzte. Eine Waldbauerngeschichte aus unseren Tagen by the Austrian writer Peter Rosegger (1887) and discuss the questions with the other participants of this reading circle.

The books can – but do not have to – be read in advance, excerpts will be read together.

The Germanist and theologian Elisabeth Sallinger worked for 25 years in clinical pastoral care in hospitals, has three adult children and six grandchildren. Civil society commitment has been part of her life since her youth, for example, she already fought against nuclear power. Since 2019, she has been involved with the association Klimavolksbegehren. "Literature has always been a source of inspiration for me and has made an invaluable contribution to my personal growth, to contact with very different people, to my aesthetic sensibility and to my social/political commitment." (Elisabeth Salinger)

Duration: 120 min Meeting place: special exhibition Extinctions!?
Admission: free (entry to the zam space is free of charge)                                       
Please register at: kulturvermittlung@weltmuseumwien.at

What history do we want to live? Extinction?! – No. Good life for all?

Performance, Tue, 10 Oct, 5 pm

Playful approach to the stories (narratives) of extinction, survival and new beginnings. And of the resistance that turns adversity. There is no script. Participants can simply watch, be inspired, but also play along and contribute their own ideas.

The program is run by Seniors for Future. "We are people in mid-life and above, bringing our commitment, creativity and experience to the fight for climate justice. We inform (blog, Facebook, Twitter), we exchange ideas (also online, so that everyone can participate, no matter where they live), we support and organize actions (letters, art actions, climate theater), we show our solidarity at demonstrations and rallies."
Find out more here

Directed by Martin Lobgesang, supervisor, coach and facilitator, Vienna.

Duration: 90-120 min Meeting place: special exhibition Extinctions!?
Admission: free (entry to the zam space is free of charge) Please register at: martin.lobgesang@utanet.at (limited number of participants)

Past events

The Heritage of the Taino

Lecture and discussion, Tue, 5 September, 7 pm

The Taino were declared extinct as early as the 16th century as the first indigenous society in the Western Hemisphere. This popular narrative has been severely challenged in the last twenty years by advances in DNA testing. They have shown that the Taino never became extinct, but were assimilated.
The discussion will be moderated by Claudia Augustat, Curator for the South American Collection.

An event of the Weltmuseum Wien Friends in cooperation with the Embassy of the Dominican Republic on the occasion of the opening of the Taino vitrine in the exhibition Extinctions!?. The Weltmuseum Wien Friends association offers a variety of advanced events to all those interested in the contents of the Weltmuseum Wien, such as object discussions, special guided tours, excursions as well as film and photo lectures.

Duration: 45 min Meeting Point: WMW Forum
The lecture is free of charge (valid museum ticket required, free entrance for members of the Weltmuseum Wien Friends)
Registration: friends@weltmuseumwien.at

Nature's expression and thinking at the Amazon's gateway

Workshop for children (7 to 12 years), Fri, 8 September 3.30, pm

In the Serranía de La Lindosa, Colombia, rock paintings thousands of years old have been discovered. It is assumed that the paintings were made 12600 years ago. They depict animals that were indigenous during the last cold period but have since become extinct. Juan Muñoz has been working for years to preserve, research and publicise the paintings. As part of the exhibition Extinctions!? he will offer workshops for children and adults "to show the connection between culture, based on the knowledge of the ancestors and their forms of expression, and the protection of the planet," says Muñoz.

It's sure to be exciting workshops, with fascinating stories, music and time for creativity!

Duration: 90 min.
Participation: € 4.50 for children and attending adults
Regular admission for accompanying adults, children free of charge.
Participation with WienXtra-Kinderaktivcard:
Children € 3.50 / adults € 6 (museum entrance included)
Participation with Annual Ticket: € 3,50 for children and adults
The presence of an accompanying person is required.
Tickets available online or at the ticket office
Meeting place: Hall of Columns

With the Annual Family Ticket for 2 adults and their children under the age of 19, you receive a Museum Gift Bag with numerous offers, discounts, and gifts. Detailed information can be found at www.khm.at/familie.

Artist Talk with Selk´nam Activist Fernanda Olivares

Fri, 22. September, 4 pm

In her installation in the exhibition Extinctions!? Selk’nam activist Fernanda Olivares together with the artist Nicólas Spencer used a 3D print from a ceremonial mask collected by the priest and anthropologist Martin Gusinde in 1923. Another 3D print of the mask was brought by curator Claudia Augustat from the Weltmuseum Wien to Tierra del Fuego in March this year. In this talk Fernanda Olivares will share her thought about the meaning and possible using of this 3D print.

In her own words: “This gathering of friends, artists, and companions who have accompanied us will represent a ceremony we wish to share openly with the public. To do this, I sought consent from my community, which granted me their blessing despite my youth and inexperience, to offer this ritual mask, the company I believe is necessary. They gave their consent since it is not an indigenous ceremony, traditionally private and performed by elders. Instead, I am creating a version that can open this offering to the community that has been connected to this sacred object. I will make an offering to the 3D print of a ceremonial mask displayed in the exhibition room, and I will do it with my friends with whom I am journeying through the valleys of my homeland. Together, we will engage in a new and syncretic ceremony to pave the way for a conversation where we aim to share the future of my people and yours.”

Duration: 90 min Meeting Point: Hall of Columns
Admission: free No registration required