Habitat Views considers ways of looking at dioramas today, and documents the creation of several new displays.
Dioramas at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County provide visitors with up-close expereiences of animal specimens and related life-forms, now increasingly endangered or degraded, in unique, awe-inspiring re-creations of their natural habitats in North America and Africa. Presented initially at the Museum in 1925, these tableaux have been acknowledged world-wide for their scientific accuracy and educational power to serve the Museum's mission "to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds".
The skilled painting of backdrops, careful consideration of three-dimensional settings and the expert taxidermy of specimens are featured, along with the installation and lighting of the final arrangements. Time-lapse segments reveal the overall process while interviews provide insights into the work, research and contemporary importance of the museum diorama. Finally, it is the public's enthusiastic reactions that provide the most telling confirmation of the diorama's potency and relevance as an exhibit language today.