Once Upon a Dune: Coastal (Hi)Stories

In April 2024, during a workshop at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, specialists from different countries and backgrounds talked about dunes. In addition to the scientific topics presented, we discussed how to make our work more compelling and accessible to a wider audience. We wanted to share our plural views on coastal issues and the importance of taking this diversity into account when managing for the future, because beaches are made up of sea and sand, but also of people’s expectations and choices. This exhibition is our way to do this. Each of us has chosen an image/object that represents our personal connection with the coast. We do not want to present results or conclusions; as in a museum or art gallery, it is up to you to find meaning and to write your own script based on your impressions.

Once Upon a Dune: Coastal (Hi)Stories

In April 2024, during a workshop at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, specialists from different countries and backgrounds talked about dunes. In addition to the scientific topics presented, we discussed how to make our work more compelling and accessible to a wider audience. We wanted to share our plural views on coastal issues and the importance of taking this diversity into account when managing for the future, because beaches are made up of sea and sand, but also of people’s expectations and choices. This exhibition is our way to do this. Each of us has chosen an image/object that represents our personal connection with the coast. We do not want to present results or conclusions; as in a museum or art gallery, it is up to you to find meaning and to write your own script based on your impressions.

De lupas a telescopios: Explorando el microcosmos y el macrocosmos en los laboratorios bioculturales de Chile

Chile es una tierra dibujada al ritmo de la propia naturaleza. Es un laboratorio natural que nos invita a mirar hacia arriba, al macrocosmos, y hacia abajo, al microcosmos. En ambos extremos de este largo y angosto país, las actividades científicas tienen un gran impacto global. Actualmente, más del 50 % de las observaciones astronómicas del mundo utilizan los telescopios del Observatorio Europeo Austral (ESO por su acrónimo en inglés) y de otras instituciones instaladas en el Desierto de Atacama, en el norte de Chile. Complementariamente, en su extremo sur, Chile estableció el Centro Internacional Cabo de Hornos para Estudios de Cambio Global y Conservación Biocultural (CHIC) para investigar los microcosmos, desde el organismo más grande, el planeta Tierra, hasta los más pequeños. El CHIC explora diversas formas de conocimiento y valores para comprender y proteger la biosfera en el contexto del cambio socio ambiental global. Esta exposición virtual potencia la integración de las ciencias, las artes y las humanidades mediante una novedosa asociación con el Centro Rachel Carson para el Medio Ambiente y la Sociedad, invitando a los visitantes a dejarse encantar a través de las múltiples escalas del cosmos.

From Hand Lenses to Telescopes: Exploring the Microcosm and Macrocosm in Chile’s Biocultural Laboratories

Chile is a land drawn with the rhythm of nature itself. It is a natural laboratory that invites us to look up into the macrocosm and down into the microcosm. At both extremes of this long and narrow country, science activities have a major global impact. Today, over 50 percent of the world’s astronomical observations use the telescopes of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutions installed in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Complementarily, at its southern end Chile established the Cape Horn International Center for Global Change Studies and Biocultural Conservation (CHIC) to investigate the microcosms, from the largest organism, planet Earth, to the smallest ones. CHIC explores diverse forms of knowledge and values to understand and protect the biosphere in the context of global socio-environmental change. This virtual exhibition enhances the integration of the sciences, arts, and humanities through a novel partnership with the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, inviting visitors to be enchanted across the multiple scales of the cosmos.

Wilderness Babel: What Does Wilderness Mean in Your Language?

What does wilderness mean in your language? Listen to words for “wilderness” and learn about their political and historical meanings in different regional contexts. “Wilderness Babel” is a collaboration with the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, edited by Marcus Hall and Wilko Graf von Hardenberg. Its international contributions are still growing.

This version 2, published in 2020, includes minor updates to the original 2013 virtual exhibition (view PDF here) and applies the Environment & Society Portal’s responsive layout.