Plant Materials and Material Culture, Showcase Design for the Humboldt Forum, Berlin, 2019.
The showcase for the Humboldt Forum's permanent exhibition on the Lowlands of South American Peoples was designed to highlight the integral role of plant-based materials in the material culture of indigenous peoples. The design focused on two key aspects: displaying the plants that provide the fibers used in objects and representing the connections of these objects with specific territories and landscapes.
To achieve this, the exhibit featured actual plants alongside the objects made from their fibers. The curauá plant, widely used by the upper Rio Negro Indians, was showcased alongside items like leggings and adabi whips, demonstrating the plant's importance in crafting these objects.
This approach not only showcased the beauty and functionality of these objects but also emphasized the deep connection between indigenous communities and their natural environments, highlighting the ecological and cultural significance of plant-based materials in their material culture.
The exhibit also included graphical representations illustrating how these objects are connected to territorial niches and landscapes. The anklets, made using curauá fibers and eewa clay for their yellow color, were displayed alongside representations of the streams where eewa clay is sourced. Similarly, the adabi whips, crafted from curauá fibers, were shown alongside representations of the specific terra firme forests where the titica vine, used in their making, is found.
