The message
Human stewardship has shaped biodiversity for millennia and continues to do so.
The experience
A backlit case contains a geometric mosaic of colors and textures. On closer examination, the mosaic is composed of seeds from Chicago area prairies. Handheld magnifying glasses let visitors explore the wide range of forms, including dense spikes, delicate fluff, slender gold grains, and blood-red pearls.
Opposite this display is an unlikely set of conservation tools: A drip-can, lighter, flame-retardant jumpsuit, face shield, and heavy, insulated gloves. The installation might permit visitors to try on a piece of burn gear. Dramatic footage of a prairie burn accompanies these objects.
The display illustrates the aspects of prairie plants that make them so well-suited to fire—unlike their invasive neighbors. This includes a low growth point, deep root systems, dry leaves that act as accelerant, and seedpods that respond to fire.
The story
The native people of what is today Chicago originally burned prairies to create more robust ecosystems. There is a complex relationship between the shaping of this landscape by both lightening and man-made fires, and the evolution of prairie plants. Their contemporary structure is suited to and in some cases dependent on fire. Ongoing human stewardship helps these species maintain their habitat against encroaching invasive plants and fragmentation.
Few Chicagoans realize their region includes rare ecosystems. Seed processing efforts include a strong citizen science component, providing an opportunity for local visitors to move from awareness to action.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Module 8: Knowledge of our environment
The message
Conservation begins with knowledge of our environment and its resources.
The experience
Visitors encounter an array of maps: the hand-drawn territory map created by the Maijuna, “memory maps” created with other indigenous groups, social asset maps from the Chicagoland area, and perhaps swell maps from the South Pacific and early surveyor maps of Chicago. At individual touch screen kiosks or a multi-user touchtable, visitors can explore Google Earth to find out where Field Museum scientists are involved in conservation efforts around the world. They can also view rapid color guides, identification keys, and other field materials created for a specific region. Visitors might also have the opportunity to contribute to this or other maps.
The story
This section would help convey very basic concepts that underscore the work of our scientists:
From the perspective of the anthropology staff, something all human communities share is knowledge of their environment and its natural resources for survival. As John Terrell points out, when urbanites shop at Trader Joe’s they’re really foraging for food in a location they know to be successful for finding sustenance. It’s just a matter of how we make choices with this knowledge—that’s conservation.
For biological scientists, it’s important to convey that we can’t protect something if we don’t know what’s there. The Museum has a long-standing relationship with regions around the world to help answer this question. Museum scientists work with local officials and train the next generation of scientists in these countries to share knowledge of the environment and the foundations for conservation. This can be demonstrated in part through the guides we produce, making knowledge of place more accessible.
Conservation begins with knowledge of our environment and its resources.
The experience
Visitors encounter an array of maps: the hand-drawn territory map created by the Maijuna, “memory maps” created with other indigenous groups, social asset maps from the Chicagoland area, and perhaps swell maps from the South Pacific and early surveyor maps of Chicago. At individual touch screen kiosks or a multi-user touchtable, visitors can explore Google Earth to find out where Field Museum scientists are involved in conservation efforts around the world. They can also view rapid color guides, identification keys, and other field materials created for a specific region. Visitors might also have the opportunity to contribute to this or other maps.
The story
This section would help convey very basic concepts that underscore the work of our scientists:
From the perspective of the anthropology staff, something all human communities share is knowledge of their environment and its natural resources for survival. As John Terrell points out, when urbanites shop at Trader Joe’s they’re really foraging for food in a location they know to be successful for finding sustenance. It’s just a matter of how we make choices with this knowledge—that’s conservation.
For biological scientists, it’s important to convey that we can’t protect something if we don’t know what’s there. The Museum has a long-standing relationship with regions around the world to help answer this question. Museum scientists work with local officials and train the next generation of scientists in these countries to share knowledge of the environment and the foundations for conservation. This can be demonstrated in part through the guides we produce, making knowledge of place more accessible.
Module 7: Culture shapes nature/Nature shapes culture
The message
Cultures have shaped nature—and nature has shaped cultures—for millennia.
The experience
Pottery in rich earth tones is clustered in two groups. Stylized nuts, sprouting beans, and schools of anchovies circle pots in the first group. In the second group, a fierce figure—likely a war deity—dominates the pots. Dramatic lighting heightens the contrasting styles.
The story
The Nazca of Peru produced all of the pottery, reflecting a major shift in the culture’s relationship with nature. The first group of earlier pottery reflects a time of plenty, when the Nazca managed abundant natural resources. The second set shows the aftermath of drought, El Niño effects, and increasing conflict with the Wari—successful invaders, in large part due to their highly efficient use of water.
These objects are linked to Ryan Williams’ research on ancient irrigation systems. His findings inform efforts by Peruvian agriculture officials to reconstruct the highly efficient Wari terrace canal systems.
Cultures have shaped nature—and nature has shaped cultures—for millennia.
The experience
Pottery in rich earth tones is clustered in two groups. Stylized nuts, sprouting beans, and schools of anchovies circle pots in the first group. In the second group, a fierce figure—likely a war deity—dominates the pots. Dramatic lighting heightens the contrasting styles.
The story
The Nazca of Peru produced all of the pottery, reflecting a major shift in the culture’s relationship with nature. The first group of earlier pottery reflects a time of plenty, when the Nazca managed abundant natural resources. The second set shows the aftermath of drought, El Niño effects, and increasing conflict with the Wari—successful invaders, in large part due to their highly efficient use of water.
These objects are linked to Ryan Williams’ research on ancient irrigation systems. His findings inform efforts by Peruvian agriculture officials to reconstruct the highly efficient Wari terrace canal systems.
Module 6: Cultural identity & local landscapes
The message
Cultural identity is often rooted in the local landscape. A community’s ability to continue making choices about that landscape is essential to preserving quality of life.
The experience
Visitors enter an intimate, enclosed space. At first, the space is filled with the bright, geometric patterns of Shipibo embroidery. The lights dim and a projected image wraps around the interior, creating the illusion of standing inside a forest clearing in the Shipibo territory in Cordillera Azul National Park. Within the 360° scene, a group of Shipibo teens pose on one wall while water laps at a canoe at the edge of a river on the opposite wall. A Shipbo narrator begins to describe the decision to form Cordillera Azul and the community’s hopes for the land.
As this vignette fades, close-up images of flowers from gardens in Pullman and Calumet region prairies fill the space. A new scene wraps around the interior, this time showing Hazel and Cheryl Johnson in a green lot in Pullman. Narration from the mother and daughter describes their efforts to mobilize the community and reclaim the health of their neighborhood after the collapse of heavy industry.
The story
Alaka Wali and her team identify the intertwined nature of place, culture, and identity as a major asset towards conservation. ECCo examines the choices communities make as they balance concerns about meeting basic needs and desires to have more with the value they place on maintaining the natural landscape. For the Shipibo, this may mean balancing the desire to make money from cattle ranching against the fear of losing local forests. In the Calumet region, this might be rejecting a new factory that could mean jobs in favor of more sustainable development to ensure clean air and clean water. By alternating between stories from Cordillera Azul and Calumet, the common concerns of communities can be highlighted.
To further illustrate this theme, a display could features objects from these communities (and perhaps others) that demonstrate material links to the land: Shipibo embroidery, Cofan headdresses made from feathers, or sculptures made from industrial scrap metal from the Calumet region.
Cultural identity is often rooted in the local landscape. A community’s ability to continue making choices about that landscape is essential to preserving quality of life.
The experience
Visitors enter an intimate, enclosed space. At first, the space is filled with the bright, geometric patterns of Shipibo embroidery. The lights dim and a projected image wraps around the interior, creating the illusion of standing inside a forest clearing in the Shipibo territory in Cordillera Azul National Park. Within the 360° scene, a group of Shipibo teens pose on one wall while water laps at a canoe at the edge of a river on the opposite wall. A Shipbo narrator begins to describe the decision to form Cordillera Azul and the community’s hopes for the land.
As this vignette fades, close-up images of flowers from gardens in Pullman and Calumet region prairies fill the space. A new scene wraps around the interior, this time showing Hazel and Cheryl Johnson in a green lot in Pullman. Narration from the mother and daughter describes their efforts to mobilize the community and reclaim the health of their neighborhood after the collapse of heavy industry.
The story
Alaka Wali and her team identify the intertwined nature of place, culture, and identity as a major asset towards conservation. ECCo examines the choices communities make as they balance concerns about meeting basic needs and desires to have more with the value they place on maintaining the natural landscape. For the Shipibo, this may mean balancing the desire to make money from cattle ranching against the fear of losing local forests. In the Calumet region, this might be rejecting a new factory that could mean jobs in favor of more sustainable development to ensure clean air and clean water. By alternating between stories from Cordillera Azul and Calumet, the common concerns of communities can be highlighted.
To further illustrate this theme, a display could features objects from these communities (and perhaps others) that demonstrate material links to the land: Shipibo embroidery, Cofan headdresses made from feathers, or sculptures made from industrial scrap metal from the Calumet region.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)