During Advent 2025, the Anatomical Collection of Domestic Animals presented a special art installation in one of the large glass cabinets in the Lichthof of the LFW building: “Schützenswert,” an organ‑based nativity scene. The title Schützenswert translates to “worthy of protection,” highlighting the central theme of the installation.
The installation “Schützenswert” places the vulnerability of the body and its organs at the center. It reminds us that life, in all its forms, is precious and in need of protection. Here, the anatomical models function not only as teaching tools but as symbols of what is essential. They point to the biological foundations of life, foundations that are both fragile and transient.
The installation links the Christmas story with an anatomical reflection on life. The sacred and wondrous aspects of the narrative appear not as abstract ideas but through the concrete anatomy of human and animal bodies in which life takes shape.
“Schützenswert” therefore refers not only to humans and animals, but also to organs, senses, culture, and community, everything that sustains our existence and, like the child in the manger, deserves care and protection. The familiar imagery of the nativity becomes a tableau of vulnerability. The figures are not made of wood or clay but of anatomical models that directly evoke what is at work within us.
The Christ Child appears as an opened heart, resting on a small sleigh and wrapped in a bright safety vest, the center of love, both delicate and in need of protection.
Mary and Joseph are represented by an ovary and a testicle, standing for biological origins and the cycle of life. Mary symbolizes creative power, while Joseph, at least in the biblical story, takes on a supporting role.
The angel choir, formed from dental models and larynxes, proclaims the birth of what is worth protecting as a cultural community.
The three kings bring not material gifts but the senses themselves: an eye, an ear, and a tongue – reminders that perception is a gift and our connection to the world.
Horseshoes along their path symbolize luck and the journey itself.
Even the animals of the nativity appear as anatomical models. Above it all shines the Star of Bethlehem, represented by a brain with a spinal cord, a symbol of orientation through consciousness, illumination through insight.
The “worthy of protection” is not something distant, it lies within us, in our organs, in our senses, in life itself. The human brain becomes the luminous force meant to guide us, toward thinking, sensing, questioning, and protecting.
This installation by Florian Trepp (Group Animal Physiology) not only illustrates what is worthy of protection but also raises the question of how we choose to protect it.
For the first time, the new modular signage system was used, linking the physical collection to the digital collection.
