The exhibition Terrestrial Tales sets marvels next to monstrosities, the mundane next to the exotic, and the scientific next to the artistic – all laden with their own agendas. The material gathered opens up a discourse on stories that concern not only how we see the world, but also how our world is constructed accordingly as a compendium of competing ‘terrestrial tales’ or operative narratives that maintain our worldview (Weltbild), our concept of humanity (Menschenbild), as well as our own self-image as distinct subjects (Selbstbild).
To gain an overview of contemporary perspectives on world-shaping agencies, a “Call for Globes” went out to ETH Zurich faculty. The responses were wide-ranging, coming from disparate disciplines, whether from the sciences addressing the subject matter of climate change, from planning and architecture raising questions about global urbanization, or from the arts and humanities reflecting on processes of planetary transformation. Soon thereafter, other universities around the globe answered the call for globes, bringing ever more geo-stories into the mix.
Introduction text: Marc Angélil
Exhibition design: Ciro Miguel, Tobias Klauser in collaboration with Marc Angélil. Videos: Jenny Rodenhouse. Exhibition team: Marcin Ganczarski, Ellen Reinhard, David Roth, Cary Siress, Julian Schubert, Elena Schütz, and Leonard Streich.