Exhibition Life as an Insect / Without an Insect / With an Insect

At first glance, people and insects are as different from each other as a space shuttle and a rowboat. Humans are large animals, insects are small. A human body is covered by soft skin, whereas an insect's body is covered by a hard chitin shell. Humans can speak, but the sound world of insects is often a mystery to us... We can list many facts about how insects and humans differ from each other, but do you know in which cases they are actually similar, what common interests they share, and how one side uses the other?   

At the exhibition Life with/without/as an Insect created by Tartu Nature House, you can gain an in-depth understanding of how the world works together with insects, what it would be like without them, and what it is like to live as an insect in your own chitin shell. The exhibition thoroughly explores the diverse relationships between insects and humans, ranging from hostile to friendly and from beneficial to harmful. At the insect exhibition, visitors can, among other things: - observe the annual and life cycles of insects - study the micro-world in the insect laboratory using a microscope - play insect alias - get acquainted with everyday products that contain substances created by insects - learn about insect record holders and compare them with human records in the tent and block game - see Urmas Tartes' wonderfully detailed photographs of insects - for puzzle lovers and thorough visitors, there are also crosswords and note sheets with questions. For puzzle lovers and thorough exhibition visitors, there are also crosswords and note sheets with questions.

The texts and photos were created by entomologist Urmas Tartes. The project manager of the exhibition is Krista Tomson. Anneli Ehlvest, Pille-Riin Pärnsalu, Janika Ruusmaa and others contributed to the activities, games, and tasks. The insect collection was prepared by Allan Selin, the texts were edited by Leelo Laurits, and the overall execution of the exhibition was carried out by the agency Pult OÜ. All of this was supported and made possible by the Environmental Investment Centre.