Enlivening Exhibitions: Zoos, Open-air Museums, and the History of Living Animals in Human Sceneries of Display Zoos, Open-air Museums, and the History of Living Animals in Human Sceneries of Display

Abstract

In the following article, open-air museums and zoos are examined as enlivened multispecies spaces by connecting two recent threads of research, put in historical context: human–animal studies and exhibition studies, that both put the concept of relationality centre stage. This offers a slightly altered perspective on the history and entanglements of these institutions, exploring the crucial aspect of animating sceneries and enlivening these places. By way of conclusion I will use the multispecies and exhibition context to reflect upon doing and undoing human–animal entanglements in time and space, past and present.