Fallowland

Fallowland is a reflection on what it means to rest – a sensory tour and a shelter exploring fallowing, the practice of ‘resting’ soil. Through acknowledging that soil, and by extension the earth, is a shared space, Fallowland explores rest as a relational and active process, and how it is intimately linked to both human and planetary health.

Need for rest
The need for fallowing is increased by systems of overproduction and excess consumption, where both the earth and our bodies become drained and depleted. In a landscape of multiple crises – environmental, systemic, epistemic – Fallowland engages with sensory experiences of fallowing and resting to enable new perspectives on sustainability and nurture the energy to hope, plant, and take action.

Audio walk
The experience begins with an audio walk that invites you to sense the earth, the living organisms around you, and your own body and to discover more about the science of fallowing.

Create amulets
Inspired by the amulet collection at Medical Museion, you are invited to create wax paper amulets – for the earth and for yourself or a loved one. Historically, amulets were used to protect against illness and attract luck and positive forces.

Practical Information
Fallowland can be experienced Tuesday – Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM during the period from May 16th to September 2nd 2025. The audio walk is accessed on your phone through a QR code. Headphones are available to borrow. The experience is free of charge.

Who’s Behind It
Fallowland is created in collaboration between artist duo Baum & Leahy, Tiff Mak (Researcher at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability at DTU), and Medical Museion. Fallowland is part of the research project Addressing Sustainability using Arts-Based Science Communication. Read more about the project here

Architect: Studio Fondu / Hugo Shackleton; Ceramicist: P. Marguerite; Sound: Magma Rea; Tailor: Unik Systue. Thanks to family and friends for donating textiles, compost for plant dying and other materials, and to the Den Grønne Hal, Christiania, and Stald Mæglerne AS for providing recycled, sustainable, and ethically sourced materials.

Follow the project on Instagram
medicinskmuseion, @baumleahy, @tiffmak.

Sustainable Materials and Building Style
Fallowland uses natural and upcycled materials and is designed for disassembly, and ease of re-use in other contexts. All textiles are recycled, and some are plant-dyed by the team behind the project in one of DTU’s large lab kitchens. Beetroot, coffee grounds, onion skins and more have been used to create the colors ranging from orange and lilac to a light caramel brown dyed.

Part of a Research Project
Fallowland was developed as part of the research project Addressing Sustainability using Arts-Based Science Communication. The project investigates how sustainability can be communicated to a broader public. It is led by Marianne Achaim from the Department of Science Education and involves three partner institutions: the Danish Museum of Science & Technology, the Zoo, and Medical Museion. Each institution collaborates with a researcher and an artist to create innovative communication concepts and best practices for sustainability outreach.

More info on project and collaborators
www.ind.ku.dk/english/projects/sustain-art-sci
www.museion.ku.dk/en/addressing-sustainability-with-arts-based-science-communication/
www.museion.ku.dk
www.baumleahy.com
www.tiffsmak.com
https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/persons/tiffany-shang-heng-mak