Tangled Planet
How do media biases affect our perception of the natural world?
Can we learn to protect wildlife at the same time as developing green technologies?
How many women contributed to science in the 19th century that we don't know of?
Can you do your part to save our tangled planet?
These are some of the questions visitors are invited to consider at the Museum of Zoology's enlightening new exhibition, Tangled Planet, on display until 23 December 2023.
Tangled Planet launched on Saturday 7th October 2023 as the culmination of Cambridge Future Museum Voices, a collaborative outreach initiative between Clare College and the University Museum of Zoology. It brought together a diverse group of sixth-form students from underrepresented backgrounds to co-curate an exhibition focusing on climate change and environmental issues.
Cambridge Future Museum Voices launched in January 2023, inviting sixth formers at state schools and colleges from across the UK to apply with statements of interest. Out of over 50 applications, 19 students were selected based on the strength of their statements and University Widening Participation criteria. Students engaged in a series of preparatory webinars, introducing them to the University of Cambridge, the Museum of Zoology, and the latest research on biodiversity loss and environmental change.
The first milestone of the programme was a week-long residential experience at Clare College in April 2023, where participants delved into the world of environmental research and museum curation and experienced a taste of university life.
"I appreciated the opportunity to meet like-minded students, but also to make new friends studying a range of courses to learn more about subjects I’m not usually exposed to"
During their time in Cambridge, the students took part in exclusive behind-the-scenes tours and talks by curators and scientists at various collections, including the Museum of Zoology, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Botanic Gardens, Cambridge Herbarium, and the David Attenborough Building. These encounters invited students to reflect on the human mediation of the natural world in museums and how museums and universities can shape public attitudes towards it.
These experts gave students food for thought as they uncovered the hidden histories behind museum collections, including gender biases in ornithological displays, the footprint left by colonial-era collectors on indigenous communities, and even the insidious influence of the foxhunting lobby in contemporary mammalian displays. Clare researchers, including Dr Patricia Fara, Dr Ed Harding and Dr Sheila Kohring, were among those who shared captivating stories of human interactions with particular species, from butterflies and frigatebirds to the woolly mammoth.
The resulting exhibition, Tangled Planet, explores the delicate interdependence between humans and the Earth’s biodiversity. Each student carefully selected a specimen from the Museum's collection that told a compelling story about the human impact on the planet, and penned new interpretations of these specimens to convey these narratives. Furthermore, the group collectively crafted an introductory message and prompts for reflection, devised the exhibition's title and design, and presented their ideas to an expert audience.
Throughout the summer, a specialist museum design agency turned these ideas into a full-fledged exhibition. On Saturday 7th October, students and their guests returned to Cambridge for a VIP exhibition launch event, featuring a keynote talk by Professor Lynn Dicks, lunch in Clare’s Great Hall, and an exclusive viewing of the new exhibition, attended by over 60 people.
Tangled Planet is now open to the public, and we encourage all to visit and reflect on their place within our tangled planet.
"I enjoyed speaking to so many people who are so knowledgeable and passionate about their fields, seeing parts of museums that normally aren’t accessible, and the experience of the college and city’’
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