Totally Stockholm 1
Etnografiska Museet’s new exhibition Human Nature
delves deep into both the threats and hopes concerning humans’ relationship with planet earth. The exhibition had been on display at their Gothenburg sister museum – Världskulturmuseet – since early 2019, but has now moved on to Stockholm and Etnografiska, its new home until January 2022. Human Nature, on display in a brand new part of the museum, is inspired by various research projects about our future. One of these is Beyond Efficiency, which displays how the climate problems of today have affected the designs of the future. Among the examples on display are prototypes of water-free toilets and a bio-coal stove. “Even if the exhibition raises important and serious issues we want our visitors to come away from it with a sense of hope. Hope that there are solutions, and that there are people working to create change,” says Tina Landgren, exhibition producer at Världskulturmuseerna. Etnografiska has also collected examples of “unnecessary purchases” from the general public through a Facebook campaign. Among the objects on display are a can of Swedish air, and a bra made of 100 percent plastic. “The response to our campaign was fantastic and great to see. We thought that most people probably have bought something they felt wasn’t the most necessary. The aim of displaying these purchases isn’t to shame people, but to show how easy it is to consume,” explains Tina Landgren. Apart from the physical exhibition, Carola Magnusson, who runs Etnografiska’s restaurant Matmekka, has developed a special Human Nature menu. “All the dishes lean on locally-produced ingredients and prioritise sustainability for future generations. And since Matmekka lives at Etnografiska museet we respect all producers around the globe,” says Carola Magnusson. The special menu, comprising among other things a Pad Thai made from sugar kelp from Sweden’s west coast, is served every day between 11:00 and 17:00. During Wednesday nights the restaurant is open longer and has a more extensive menu on offer. Human Nature is on display until 7 January 2022. 13 The Human Nature evening menu at Matmekka Asian food made from sustainable Swedish raw produce and thai spices: Tom Yam – green curry, mussels and autumn pea Crispy pork belly – Nibble Gårdsgris pork and red curry Swedishly grown quinoa – wild spinach/white goosefoot leaves Somtam – rutabaga noodles, salt-roasted seeds Fried Autumn rolls – root vegetables, cabbage, mushrooms and a spicy dip sauce Thai egg cake with fried onions and coconut