Worth knowing
The student exhibition is located in the exhibition room below the Stairway of Evolution.
Student exhibition | Last chance 26. October
ALL OUR FAMILIES
How are families created?
Moesgaard’s new student exhibition ALL OUR FAMILIES explores how family is not just something we are, but something we do. Family relations consist of bonds, which are formed through our actions – bonds that can be forged, strengthened, damaged and cut.
Created by 60 anthropology students from Aarhus University, the exhibition invites you to settle down in the cramped sofa with the in-laws, sit among the skeletons in the cupboard or let yourself be surrounded by the comfort of nature. This perhaps encourages you to think about how you and the people closest to you ‘constitute a family’.
Six stories from fieldwork
In preparation for the exhibition, the students undertook fieldwork in and around Aarhus and investigated different perspectives about the family. Their insight is that family does not appear by itself, but is created through practice and action. Based on the fieldwork, six sub-exhibitions have been created, which explore themes such as the in-laws, the growth and development of the family, family secrets, the importance of the mealtimes, cultural perspectives and alternative family forms, such as communal groups.
A textile work in the middle of the room connects the exhibitions together and demonstrates how family relations change over time. As a visitor, you can cut or tie knots in the ribbons – perhaps inspired by your own family ties.
What actually is family?
Anthropology has historically perceived kinship from a Western perspective, in which family is biological – rooted in descent and genes. But the concept of the family varies considerably across cultures. Family can also emerge through actions, choices and shared narratives, and thus extend beyond those we share genes with.
Open today 10–17