‘Invisible Worlds’ at the American Museum of Natural History: Charting Humankind’s Connection with Nature

Invisible Worlds is an immersive multimedia art exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) that focuses on sharing all the invisible ways humankind is connected to all life in nature, no matter how big or small. The exhibit highlights seemingly innocuous connections such as how bats’ wings share bone structures with a human hand, or that human cells resemble those of a pineapple’s; segments of human DNA also closely matches those of fungi. These are the types of connections that Invisible Worlds focuses on, they put on a pedestal the invisible markings that show humanity is part of a larger planetary ecosystem. These invisible strings create a web of give and take between beings on planet Earth, and create a balance of life and death.

As a consequence of the vista, Invisible Worlds reminds its audiences that the fate of this fragile balance now hangs in the air. Unless, humanity as a whole makes urgent decisions and shifts in their lifestyles. If they choose to not do so, they risk losing the planet, its biodiversity, its liveability and these invisible strings. This is why the exhibit Invisible Worlds is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life on Land and Life Below Water.

Photograph of Invisible Worlds at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) by Mary Altaffer. Image courtesy of SILive.

Based on the museum’s written statement, Invisible Worlds is the visualization of scientific data that highlights life at all scales. It displays life forms that are too fast, too small or too slow for the human eye to see. The exhibit traces how these life forms interact with human life and the planetary ecosystem, forming one big harmonious orchestra that crescendoes at the same time. Invisible Worlds does this by taking visitors on a journey that begins with an aerial view of New York City. They are encouraged to take the time to appreciate the network of satellites that loom over the city before plunging into the trees of Central Park, a complex neural structure, joined at the roots much like neurons of the human brain.

Photograph of Invisible Worlds at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) by Hiroko Masuike. Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Though Invisible Worlds is first and foremost a visual spectacle, the sights are accompanied by concrete data around the life forms. This data shows how human activity has been disruptive, pushing audiences to find out how they too can make small contributions to the preservation of the connections with other living beings. A nonintrusive woman’s voice narrates the journey, intertwined with sounds of raw recorded nature. Elise Bryan, a visitor from San Francisco said in an interview that she found, “how they used lights to show how much of life is connected — and the visualization — is really cool.”

Photograph of Invisible Worlds at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) by Hiroko Masuike. Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Calling the enterprise “really cool” is rather an understatement. Today, planet earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction, a time of rampant biodiversity loss that has only previously been seen as dinosaurs went extinct. Unlike previous planetary mass extinction events, the sixth wave has been entirely done by human hand. The World Wildlife Fun (WWF) lists agriculture, that has been responsible of 90 percent of the world’s deforestation, as its leading cause. Invisible Worlds is necessary; it is a timely reminder of how humanity needs to urgently band together, to help preserve life on Earth, lest humanity risk losing all its connections with our planet.

Find out more about Invisible Worlds at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @amnh.