Ursidae Interventions: Empathic Gestures towards Performing Bears

Botanical gardens and museums are considered sites for producing and legitimizing knowledge. However, they can also be seen as urban sites of multispecies trauma originating from colonial imagination and fantasy. Through performance art and moving image, we explore the traditions associated with exhibiting bears for entertainment and education. Acknowledging the troubled histories of bear performances and coming to terms with the past allows us to imagine alternative futures for the human-bear relationship.