Clocking the world's many rhythms

Anyone who has ever visited a lackluster show here will be pleasantly surprised by what they will find at the recently opened Rhythms of life (生命的律動) exhibition at the National Taiwan Museum (國立台灣博物館).

There are good English- and Chinese-language explanations of every exhibit, there's color, there's humor, there's plenty of interactive exhibits to keep the kids amused and more importantly the exhibition is displayed in a vibrant manner.

The reason for this is simple: The exhibition was designed and installed by the UK's Natural History Museum, which is

considered to be one of the finest museums in the world and

attracts roughly 3 million visitors per year.

When the exhibition debuted in London in 2000 it proved a smash hit. And while some may balk at the price tag of NT$4 million which the Taiwan National Museum forked out to own the exhibition, it only costs NT$20 to get in. Local curators should learn a lot from studying how plans for a successful exhibition are conceived and implemented.

Rhythms of Life explores the subject of how living things, be they insects or airline pilots, adapt to the rhythms of nature. In order to show how living things run their lives around nature's clock the exhibition employs a combination of interactive displays, models, specimens, illustrations, cartoon characters and some weird and wonderful soundtracks to make its point.

It explains the principles of hibernation, patterns of sleep and the earth's magnetic influence on the globe's natural rhythms. It explains how migratory birds know when to start their travels. It tells visitors about how the length of the day effects flora and even informs us why cabin crews on long-haul flights eat and sleep at seemingly odd times.

Although the exhibition is aimed at children from five to 10 years, adults will find it equally engrossing.