mobile exhibition kit arrays wooden display stands with sliding cases

WHO ARE WE: And What Can We Learn From Observation?

WHO ARE WE is a traveling exhibition kit set up by Haruka Misawa and compiled from the vast collection of stuffed mammals preserved by the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo. The exposition is designed to enable adults and children alike to proactively feel the unexpected connections between themselves and animals, nature, and the earth through the various observation clues in the drawers of the exhibition stand, and to bring this sense of connection back to their daily lives.

Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science preserves an archive of millions of specimens, many of which remain in storage and are not available to the public. This mobile setting is designed to be exhibited not only in museums but also in commercial facilities, schools, and other diverse places and can travel around the world, inviting individuals who may not have previously been drawn to museums or taxidermy to experience moments of surprise and discovery.

all images by Gottingham unless stated otherwise

The exhibition highlights the similarities between all mammals

The exhibition comprises 11 fixtures, deliberately devoid of a prescribed order, allowing visitors to freely navigate the exhibition hall. Instead of conventional descriptive captions, the fixtures feature an array of 46 drawers, each holding a unique perspective that serves as a clue for observing the taxidermy specimens. The hints in the drawers reveal unknown aspects of animals that could not be noticed by simply looking at the stuffed specimens, such as the unknown ecology of familiar animals, unexpected similarities between different animals, and the connections between animals and humankind.

The completion of this experience arrives with the exhibition’s central theme, WHO ARE WE. Visitors rediscover their own mammalian identity, recognizing the deep and unseen ties that bind humans to nature and the Earth.

The project by designer Haruka Misawa embraces the notion that ‘WE’ encompasses not only humans but all living creatures sharing our planet.

the exhibition space combines and instals multiple fixtures

the exhibition kit is compiled from a selection of stuffed mammals

the exhibition highlights the unexpected similarities between animals and human

the project embraces the notion that ‘WE’ encompasses not only humans but all living creatures

details of exhibits in drawer | image by Riko Okaniwa

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patterns reveal new relationships between all beings | images by Gottingham - Riko Okaniwa

details of exhibits in drawer | image by Riko Okaniwa

decomposing taxidermy into materials (left) - animal nest shown by architectural drawings (right) | images by Gottingham - Riko Okaniwa

the zebra fixtures contain a variety of taxidermy curated in a border pattern | image by Gottingham

instead of conventional descriptive captions, the fixtures feature an array of drawers with information | image by Gottingham

all eleven fixtures have drawers | image by Gottingham

project info:

name: WHO ARE WE | And What Can We Learn From Observation?
designer: Haruka Misawa

location: National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan

photography: Gottingham | @gottingham – Riko Okaniwa | @rico_okaniwa_photomedia

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom