The Cabinets of Consequence is an exhibition that explores the interplay between human, environmental and technological activity by drawing on current UCL research in Geology, Neuroscience, Literature, Computer Science and Archaeology.

The exhibition examines the following key themes: 

Agriculture-Animals

The scale of current ecological change is often difficult to perceive. Non-humans including animals and insects can be overlooked in their significance and impact upon the Earth’s eco-system.  This part of the exhibition looks at the interplay between natural history and animal worlds. It examines the use of animals in agriculture and farming, and asks: how will food be provided for a growing population of 9 billion people in 2050?

Energies-Resources

The drive for energy and resources crosses both human and non-human histories. Forms of movement, extraction and displacement of natural resources create a multiplicity of effects. This part of the exhibition showcases the impact of fossil fuel extraction and burning, alongside the entangled military-industrial collisions of war and trade. It asks: when did humans begin to radically alter the Earth and what historical narratives have been created to explain our behaviour?

Media-Natures

Technology is often thought of as a human-centered pursuit and skill. Yet nature has not only inspired the rise of technology, it is materially involved in the production of digital culture. This part of the exhibition focuses on the blurring of technology and the natural world. It reveals the invisible connections that we have come to depend upon and asks: will the technology of today be the fossils of tomorrow?

Afterlives-Extinctions

With the Earth’s resources dwindling, the possibility of a post-human planet emerges. Our own limits must be confronted in order to contemplate potential scenarios. This part of the exhibition connects the inevitability of finitude and the possible worlds it may bring. It asks: how will we prepare for the future and will our anthropogenic legacies transmit to other beings and planets?

Come and visit the Cabinets of Consequence at The Octagon till May 2017.