The Cabinet Room

The Cabinet Room: a magnifying glass for studying ourselves and the world

The Cabinet Room was inaugurated in January 2021 as one of the first art classrooms at the School. It takes its name from the Cabinets of Curiosities of the 16th century: elaborately designed collections of objects gathered from different parts of the world by European explorers.

Between the 15th and 18th centuries, European expeditions expanded both geographical knowledge and imperial power. During this period, objects, plants, animals, and cultural artifacts were brought back to Europe and displayed in Cabinets of Curiosities—spaces dedicated to collecting, organizing, and presenting what were perceived as natural wonders and unusual discoveries.

In the 18th century, these collections gradually developed into more specialized and systematic forms of categorization, contributing to the foundations of modern museums and research-based educational institutions. While closely connected to colonial history and imperial ambition, the cabinets also reflected early attempts to organize and understand knowledge.

The Cabinet Room at SSE draws inspiration from this tradition. Like its historical predecessors, the room is intended to collect, provoke, and inspire. It combines contemporary art with integrated technology, flexible furniture, and smaller alcove-like spaces designed for study and reflection, including outside regular teaching hours.

The room encourages self-directed inquiry, contemplation, and sensory engagement. The artworks are not intended as decoration, but are selected for their ability to challenge perspectives and stimulate reflection and imagination.

Hanna Ljungh’s Curiosity Cabinet (boron 10 mg): You, me, rock, mountain – commodities of the quantified universe (Impact Crater) contains 10 mg of boron—the same amount found in the human body. Some scientists believe this semi-metal may have contributed to the emergence of life on Earth, possibly arriving via meteorites. The work invites reflection on connections between human life, geology, and the cosmos.

Samson Kambalu’s Plato’s Cave references the classical allegory and raises questions about truth and perception. Gustaf Nordenskiöld’s Beardrops alludes to Antarctic glaciers and climate change, while Dan Wolgers contributes a poetic interpretation of a fragmented world.

The room also includes Self-portrait by Bella Rune from the exhibition Skendöd (Sham Death), Mattias van Arkel’s Cabinet of Process, Fossil 3 and Fossil 9 by Linda Bäckström, and two drawings by Sara-Vide Ericson: The First Tiipi and Study for Manta Ray.