We’ve killed off the dodo, released unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and raised sea levels: welcome to the Anthropocene, the geological age in which humankind has permanently left our mark on the planet.
University of Bristol students are learning about the Anthropocene through a new School unit in the Humanities. The unit recognises that, in the face of large-scale environmental change, disciplinary boundaries can be restrictive in exploring issues which demand co-operation and collaboration between arts and sciences, scholars and publics, students and experts. It also recognises that the concept of the Anthropocene is not fixed, and will allow Bristol students to contribute their informed voices to the debate. The Cabot Innovation Fund will support a two-stranded teaching initiative.
The Anthropocene in the Archives
Students will visit Bristol City Museum to explore the vast holdings of natural history materials which are not on display to the general public. Guided by curator Bonnie Griffiths, they will confront material remains of extinct species, and consider how narratives of environmental change and destruction can be told to engage a public audience. Bonnie is also keen for the students to contribute their thoughts to up-coming exhibitions at the Museum, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange. [November 2016]
The Online Anthropocene
In a half-day workshop, students will collaborate to curate a series of objects that, to them, represent human-generated environmental change. These objects/images will then be displayed via a purpose-built, open access online gallery. The workshop and gallery take inspiration from a major exhibition by the Deutsches Museum (Munich), and the first ‘Anthropocene Slam’ held at the Nelson Institute (University of Wisconsin-Madison), and will bring in Griffiths as curatorial advisor to help the students with their choices. The website will showcase Bristol Humanities students’ vision(s) of the Anthropocene to a public audience and highlight the innovative environmental teaching we do here. Subsequent years will be able to contribute further to the website, creating an ongoing resource that can be updated and developed. [Workshop: December 2016; website delivery: Easter 2017; web presence: ongoing]