After her recent exploration of potatoes and plant diversity, this time Åsa Sonjasdotter opens our eyes to our relationship with the living world by unveiling the secrets of a selection of insects.

In summer 2008 in northern Thailand, scientists from the University of Kentucky caught a previously undiscovered insect. This member of the Sphecidae family was sent to Lexington, Kentucky for identification, a journey of 14 226 km. The dead insect then travelled to the Berlin Museum für Naturkunde to be examined by one of the leading experts on the species, adding another 7220 km to its clock. It is still there today, patiently awaiting its final description before embarking on the 8600 km return journey to Thailand one day.

Åsa Sonjasdotter worked with Tahani Nadim, a sociologist of science, to present three insects from the Museum für Naturkunde’s collection from the perspective of their travels around the globe. “Because beyond their apparent immobility, resting inside drawers and exhibit cases, are hidden stories and relationships that can transform our understanding of nature and how we treat the world.”

Tote Wespen fliegen länger/Dead wasps fly further

3 to 29 March 2015, at the Berlin Museum für Naturkunde