The Great Interchange

Emerging from the tectonic sculpture, the gallery dramatically opens up to reveal a stampede of animal sculptures of all shapes and sizes, racing toward and away from the visitor's viewpoint. High overhead, birds whorl around an ocular skylight, while the sweeping curves of the walls are filled with mosaics of plants and insects. This is the Great Biotic Interchange.

The theatricality of the exhibition expresses the primary message of the gallery — when the Isthmus closed, two The Great Interchanged and everything changed. The species portrayed, in vivid, full-sized detail, are now extinct or have evolved as a result of the ecological changes Panama brought about. The stories of each animal are embedded in the interlaced podiums. Visitors will be able to move in and among the sculptures, find relationships between stories and enjoy the beauty of these lost animals' forms.

The interchange is the story of two vast continents, but the story of Panama itself and its emergent and unique tropical ecologies is the other half of the story. Inspired by the dense collections of traditional wunderkammers, the walls of the gallery are filled with specimens, many unique to Panama, which tell the five-million-year story of the formation of Panama's biotic diversity.

Finally, overhead, the migrating flocks celebrate the ongoing effects of the Bridge of Life, as each season millions of birds and insects re-trace the route of the Interchange.