Max arrived at 09:00 with a selection of warm breads and croissants from a nearby bakery. For breakfast we had the breads with meats and a selection of nice cheeses complemented by excellent coffee; that being a typical German start to the day.
Max then drove us to Oberhausen to see a photographic exhibition called “The Wonders of Nature”. The exhibition is in a 100m high gasometer that has been converted into a three storey gallery and concert hall. Its quite amazing to see how an ugly industrial tower has now become such a splendid facility used for concerts and exhibitions.
Gasometer, Oberhausen
View from Gasometer, Oberhausen
View from Gasometer, Oberhausen
The photographic work on display was phenomenal in both quality and quantity. There were two floors of photographs within the 65m diameter circular tower. Each photographic exhibit was the same in size, namely large format (2.5m x 1.5m) and was suspended by thin wires and lit from strategically placed spotlights in the ceiling. The whole area was dark except for the beautifully lit colour photographs. Each photograph had another photograph on the back of the suspended display board. To supplement the images there were also some short video ‘clips’ of plants and animals many of which were from well-known natural science series such as “Planet Earth”.
The photographers were internationally prominent people many of whom work commercially for facilities such as National Geographic and the BBC. The work of Heidi and Hans-Jurgen Koch featured prominently and was stunningly beautiful.
The photos were from all over the world and ranged from wildlife scenery to microphotography. In some instances the images were obtained using electron microscopy. Each photo had a detailed description in German and English of the subject matter.
Paintings, Wonders of Nature exhibition, Gasometer, Oberhausen
The range of subject matter was extensive but the one theme throughout was the miracle of life on our planet. Many of the photos themselves were miracles with ‘pin-sharp’ and incredibly detailed images of birds, chameleons, alligators, snakes, fish and insects often in dramatic action shots involving feeding, fighting, flying, sexual rituals and giving birth, all emphasising the richness of social relations and the ability to coexist with other species.
Amongst the myriad of around 150 spectacular photographs were a number of underwater shots of colourful reefs, turtles, copepods and sea-jellies from tropical locations including Sipadan and Raja Ampat.
When we moved to the third level of the gasometer exhibition tower we encountered the climax of the exhibition which was the ‘Earth’ itself. In the dark gigantic interior is a 20m diameter globe hovering in the 100m high air space. Moving, high-resolution satellite images, accurate in every detail are projected onto the globe from hidden locations within the vast emptiness. The effect is one that astronauts must experience when returning from afar. Visitors are encouraged to lie down on cushions in the darkened theatre and watch as the Earth moves through various day and seasonal changes.
Globe of the Earth, Wonders of Nature exhibition, Gasometer, Oberhausen
Globe of the Earth from above, Wonders of Nature exhibition, Gasometer
The sequences show the rotation of the Earth and the changes from night to day and the world’s weather patterns through cloud formation and movement. The polar ice changes shown over an extended period are dramatic too.
We then went the very top of the gasometer tower in the glass-elevator and took in the panoramic view of Düsseldorf and its surrounding towns. The tower is close to an industrial area and former coal mining region hence the old gasometer for storing ‘coal gas’.
In the late afternoon we went for a walk with Edel through parklands and beech and oak forests near her home and although the air was cold the sun on the autumn colours made for a delightful evening stroll.
After dinner we walked to visit Edel’s friends, Uta and Klaus Rudolph who live a few streets away. We enjoyed cocktails and wine together with lots of chatter and merriment. We’re planning on a trip with them tomorrow to visit Cologne (German: Köln). This was a late night for us as we didn’t get to bed until after 01:00.