The Stories of Entanglement exhibition was a showcase of the interdisciplinary research done by Wellcome Trust grantees on the effect of climate change on land dependent indigenous communities. The challenge was to develop a narrative that would be interwoven with artifacts of a lifestyle that is on the brink of being lost, while also creating a representation of climate change outside of an academic lens.

The Stories of Entanglement exhibition was a part of the larger Land Body Ecologies (LBE) Festival held at the Wellcome Collection in London.

Showcasing elements of lifestyles and communities that are grappling with the loss that the climate crisis has caused. Images, data, video and audio content was mapped within the space and the narrative to highlight the precarious situation that is common to these indigenous communities.

Videos and audioscapes of the fragile ecosystems and lifestyles were triggered by motion sensors placed around certain key artifacts.

Treating the entire space as an art exhibit, the strong forms of the display systems reflected the visual identity of the festival. Only when the visitor approaches these ‘pieces’, motion sensors trigger audio, video and text about the artifact, transforming the art space into an exhibition.

Recycled plastic and upcycled wood waste was used to create the display systems and surfaces for the artifacts as well as the projections. The structures are completely modular making set-up and pack-up easy. Currently the exhibition is on permanent display at the Hub – accessible only to the Wellcome team and Grantees.

Left : Wooden Fishing Lures from the Arctic north, from the Sami communities
Right : Rare varieties of millet seeds from communities living in Bannergatta, India