Nature and Order

One of the strongest and most influential divisions in our culture is between the naturally occurring and the man-made. Drawing from the research project "The Afterlife of Natural History" at the University of Oslo, this student exhibition explores four different themes: the starry sky, maps, folklore, and taxonomy.

The significance of the starry sky

We know more about the stars than ever before, yet they have become harder to see. Since the dawn of time, humans have used the stars for various purposes, making them an extension of human life on Earth and our cultures – a cultural landscape. The first part of the exhibition delves into this theme.

Join us on a journey under the starry sky, through Polynesian navigation, Norse and Egyptian tales, and scientific observations. And perhaps you will gain a new fascination for the stars.

Worldview

What sort of map do you use when navigating the world? A physical map? A digital map? Or perhaps the mental map with your daily routes and favourite cafes? The map is a visual representation of information, used by humans to make sense of the world. Historically, these maps have been works of art, in addition to being extremely useful for navigation.

In the past cartographers had to rely on others' descriptions to map areas of the world they did not have access to themselves. We trust that the maps we use provide us with accurate information, but can we be sure of this?

Knowledge and folklore

Today, we look to research for explanations the world, but knowledge has not always been scientific. Before Isaac Newton, it might have been a grandmother who explained how nature works through myths and stories. The stories of mythical creatures in the forest and Norse gods had value beyond being scary tales, they also explained how the world functioned in earlier times.

Search for hidden knowledge in the forest at the Historical Museum and see if you will develop a renewed interest in the stories many of us grew up with.

Taxonomy

In this part of the exhibition, we invite you to sort everyday activities, categorize animals, reflect on the fact that the systematization of humans has actually taken place and is still ongoing. Finally we encourage you to "sort" the future.

We want you to question the principles of sorting and the structures behind it. Does modern humanity still live by these principles, or have we discarded previous thought patterns and habits?

We want you to make new discoveries about how these old ideas of sorting have affected us and what effects they have had on you as an inhabitant of the Earth today. Will you change anything in your "sorting habits" after walking through this part? How can we as a society move towards the future with positivity, despite the sometimes negative consequences that previous sorting practices have brought?

About the exhibition

The exhibition "Nature and Order" was created by master students in Museology and Cultural Heritage Studies at the University of Oslo. They have based their work on the research project "The Afterlife of Natural History," which explores the intersections between nature and culture and how natural history can help us understand how humans change and are changed by nature.

The exhibition displays objects from the museum's own collection, as well as items from the collections of the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology and the National Library of Norway.