Paper short abstract:

This paper explores how newly collected and exhibited objects might lead to transformations. By engaging specimens related to livestock production in Denmark as dilemma figures the paper shows how such materializations of the challenges we face in the 21st century may pave the way for change.

Paper long abstract:

Broken chicken keel bones, intramammary treatment tubes for dairy cows, and newborn piglets with dolphin-like foreheads are some of the objects displayed at a new exhibition at the Department for Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. On the basis of my anthropological work to collect these objects as a part of an interdisciplinary research project on sustainable cattle production in Denmark, this paper explores how such artefacts can be mobilized experimentally as dilemma figures providing a common ground for discussing difficult reworkings of human-nature relationships. On display at the exhibition are both old and new specimens collected and selected in dialogue with veterinarians and animal scientists involved as researchers in animal production. The exhibition is situated in Denmark where livestock and their feed take up both the majority of arable land and account for up to 30% of the country’s greenhouse gasses emissions. These numbers make the sector – and scientists – come up with new technologies for a future animal production, most often geared to further optimizing the animal bodies and the production system. By focusing on the intended and unintended effects of such optimization the exhibition aims to creatively chart a space for transformative interventions – both for people directly involved in the curatorial practices (of collecting and selecting) and visitors to come – all of whom may grapple for new visions for healthier landscapes.