Previously possessing one of the largest
collections of natural history and anthropological artifacts in the world, a
fire in 2018 destroyed the National Museum of Brazil and much of its
collection. Representing over half of Earth's remaining rainforests, the Amazon
includes territory belonging to nine nations and 3,344 formally acknowledged
indigenous territories.
In the tropical rainforest,
consistent
day/night durations and temperatures
throughout the year creates stable
conditions (akin to climate control) that results in species going extinct
less. The tropical rainforest is
oft-referred to as both a cradle and museum of life.
The film weaves together narratively the
parallels between the burning of the National Museum of Brazil to the
continued loss of the Amazon rainforest. Exploring a paradigm shift that
reifies the rainforest as a museum. Though not in transposing the values of the
museum onto the rainforest, but the reverse through aligning the museum with
the rainforest. Addressing the increasing erosion in the importance
of cultural institutions, while untangling Modernity’s problematic relationship
between culture and nature.
