"I love fools' experiments. I am always making them"

-- Charles Darwin, English naturalist. (Source)

If there is one book that had shaped the modern world; introduced a mode of thinking that had transformed the logic of knowledge; and hugely influenced the like of Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennet, it has to be the “Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin.

Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org

Nearly 150 years after the publication of the book, millions of preserved specimens had been collected and housed in museums throughout the world. One notable museum that had attracted hundreds of thousands visitors since its establishment in 1881and houses a significant collection of Darwin’s works, is Natural History Museum of London.

The Museum has recently added an extension to its Victorian frontage, providing a state-of-the-art exhibition space. This newly built Darwin Centre is dubbed as the “Cocoon”, and cost an estimated of £78 million and hundreds of manpower to build. This gigantic cocoon, designed by the Danish architect C F Møller, will debut in September 2008.

The Cocoon-like structure differs in form from its enveloping space and hence strengthening its image as a freestanding object - a space within a space.  Image source: http://www.nhm.ac.uk