Colonialism on the window sill: Exotic plants in the World Museum Vienna
Colonialism on the window sill: Exotic plants in the World Museum Vienna
In the World Museum Vienna, a fascinating exhibition entitled "Colonialism on the Window Board" will be seen from May 28, 2025 to May 25, 2026. This exhibition illuminates the interesting story of ten popular room and balcony plants, including the room fir, Birkenfege, Aloe Vera and many others. Each of the plants tells their own story about their origin and the people they discovered and spread them. It is particularly exciting that many of these plants are native outside of Europe. For those who want to learn more about the biographies of this "exotic", visiting this show is a must.
The exhibition, curated by Bettina Zorn, looks at the role of botanists: inside and plant hunters since the 17th century, who went looking for healing and crops. At that time, exotic plants often served as status symbols for the nobility and the upper class. One example is the green lily, which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe appreciated and which found in the courtly ambience. Another star is the room fir, which was discovered in 1774 by James Cook in the Pacific and brought to Europe.
the plants as contemporary witnesses
Interestingly, the exhibition also shows that the Usambarailchen found their way through a German East Africa expedition to Europe. These interdependencies make it clear the influence of colonialism on botany and the consideration of plants in Europe. But what do the roots of these compounds look like? According to the history of anthropological society in Vienna, founded in 1870, the interaction between cultures is deeply rooted. This society was significantly involved in the foundation of an Anthropological-Urhicician Museum, which was opened in 1889 and included a department for ethnology and anthropology.The museum was a product of the colonial and ethnographic collections, which, despite the lack of colonial power in Austria-Hungary, gained more and more importance. For example, an extensive collection from the Kingdom Benin, which was captured by British troops, was integrated into the museum as a gift. Here the seeds of colonialism are visible, which have also left their influence in dealing with plants.
a new look at the story
But how has the view of colonial history and science changed over time? Critical voices from the once colonized countries have found more hearing since the 1980s. Historians: Today, not only the role of Europe in colonialism, but also the valuable expertise of colonialized people. These considerations open up new perspectives on the plants that surround us and illustrate that knowledge is not exclusive European. A concise example is cartography - during the British colonial period, local knowledge about plants and maps was often ignored or not adequately recognized.
With the exhibition "Colonialism on the Window Board", the World Museum Vienna makes a significant contribution to the critical examination of these topics. Visitors: Inside, a diverse program awaits that not only celebrates the beauty of the fauna, but also addresses the stories behind the window plants. Botanical diversity enriches our private and public spaces, and this exhibition invites you to think about our handling of plants.
Further information on the exhibition can be found on the pages of orf and the Weltmuseum Historical contextualization on bpb.de
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| Ort | Wien, Österreich |
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