{"id":2873,"date":"2026-04-15T13:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/2873\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:56:16","slug":"fossils-into-artwork-amsterdam-blends-science-and-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/2873\/","title":{"rendered":"Fossils into artwork: Amsterdam blends science and sculpture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hanging by a thin metal strap, a 67-million-year-old triceratops skull twirls above a coral sculpture, the center-piece of a new exhibition aiming to make art out of prehistoric fossils.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;Relics&#8221; show at Amsterdam&#8217;s Art Zoo will display nine works by creative duo Jaap Sinke and Ferry van Tongeren that combine science and art.<\/p>\n<p>The aim was to highlight the aesthetic side of the fossils, usually presented in an educational way in natural history museums, van Tongeren told Agence France-Presse (AFP).<\/p>\n<p>The artists tried to give the fossils &#8220;a more monumental form&#8221; with &#8220;more stature,&#8221; the 59-year-old told AFP in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition also features the bones of a basilosaurus, which roamed the seas up to 40 million years ago, but arranged as a sculpture rather than a traditional skeleton reconstruction.<\/p>\n<p>Natural history museums have a valuable scientific and educational value, &#8220;but lack a captivating element,&#8221; said van Tongeren. &#8220;And that was the starting point for everything we did.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The artists worked with Zoic, an Italian palaeontology company that processes fossils and reconstructs dinosaur skeletons.<\/p>\n<p>Creating the exhibits required &#8220;an extraordinary combination of knowledge and different processes,&#8221; Iacopo Briano, 42, curator of the exhibition and palaeontology expert at Zoic, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>First comes the &#8220;puzzle&#8221; of unearthing and reconstructing the bones from a fossil discovery.<\/p>\n<p>Then the fragile bones need to be transported so the artists could start their own work, a 10-year process in the case of this exhibit.<\/p>\n<p>This prehistoric show, whose oldest exhibit is a dinosaur vertebra about 150 million years old, opens to the public on Friday and runs until November 2026.<\/p>\n<p>                    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/JN9LXf.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                    The Daily Sabah Newsletter\n                <\/p>\n<p>\n                    Keep up to date with what\u2019s happening in Turkey,<br \/>\n                    it\u2019s region and the world.\n                <\/p>\n<p>                    SIGN ME UP\n                <\/p>\n<p>\n                    You can unsubscribe at any time. 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