The Alison Richard Building is showing a small exhibition, ‘The Library of Great Silence – Objects as a catalyst for change, from personal to global’. The web site (https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/sites/the-library-of-the-great-silence/#2-about) explains:
From the catastrophic impact of climate change to the enduring threat of nuclear annihilation, modern civilisation is in danger. Overseen by the conceptual artist and experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, The Library of the Great Silence is a unique research facility dedicated to examining existential risks of the present, and to facilitating discussion about future flourishing, by investigating societal transformations from the past.
Instead of shelving books, the Library of the Great Silence collects objects, each of which is open to interpretation by everyone. Objects are chosen based on their pivotal significance. Examples include stone tools, coins, and silicon microchips.
I don’t know the curator’s particular reasons for including a camera (there are two of them), but photography is certainly a catalyst for change, if one with a somewhat chequered history.
Visitors are invited to suggest objects for the collection with an explanation of the reason why it should be included. I propose a copy of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species for three reasons: as a reminder of the infinite variety of biodiversity, which we are losing (have lost); as evidence of the interconnectedness of all things; and as a reminder not to take our place on the planet for granted.