Lunglike Shadows - How can we curate ethically by choosing means that support sustainable living and promote more attentive encounters between humans and non-humans?

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore how we can curate ethically by choosing means that support sustainable living. These means include innovative ways of thinking and working, uniting with the needs of the natural environment, and finding ways to adjust the standard format of an exhibition. Furthermore, my aim with this project is to promote a more ecological and sustainable way of production and consumption, with greener forms of human culture and more attentive encounters between humans and non-humans. In the first part of the thesis, I will analyze different methods and theories that have brought me closer to answering the research question. In attempt to answer this question, I will present the discourse of sustainability and ecology in the context of contemporary art, discuss the rise of Eco Materialism and New Materialism, and finally argue that Object-Oriented Ontology can bring us closer to understanding and learning from non-human entities. In the second part of the thesis, I will examine my practice as a curator and present two of my projects that have influenced me in my research and practice during my curatorial studies. Furthermore, I will put these projects in the context of my developing methodology and analyze in what way they support my research questions. The final part of the thesis is devoted to the exhibition text, artist bios, and analysis of the exhibition space. With this thesis, I created a tool to guide my curatorial practice during the final semester of my studies, merging the theoretical with the practical. Through curatorial work guided by oceanic thinking, the works chosen for the graduation exhibition, Lunglike Shadows, focus on practices that fundamentally question anthropocentric worldviews from an ecological perspective. The works cultivate responsible material interactions and involve various forms of knowledge, both human and non-human. As our environment shifts, fractures, and sometimes disappears, curators can and perhaps must be cultural communicators of the present environmental crisis.