Call for collaborations: The Embassy of Reindeers

"The Embassy of Reindeers is about getting the reindeers point of view about pasture conditions due to land use and climate change through the use of reindeer borne-cameras, which take pictures of the ground when triggered by specific foraging behaviours. Getting the reindeers point of view on pastures means that I would get pictures from reindeers when they perform these two specific grazing behaviours: eating from the ground and digging in the snow to find food. By showing the reindeers point of view pictures, I want to bring on the table the objective view of the non humans and try to raise awareness on pasture degradation and climate change from the way reindeers behave in the field and respond to the environment. Through visual instances and herders reflection inspired by those photos. I recognize that each of the two groups plays an important role in the pasture issue, steering decisions on how land is used by humans and by animals. The final aim of “The Embassy of Reindeers” is to be an indirect tool informing local policy making and herding activity, a tool which looks at reindeer herding as if we would “start all over again”, citing herder Pekka, and through which we would carefully attend to the entanglements between reindeers, the environment and humans and how they might change over time."

The Embassy of Reindeers is a project by Laura Boffi within the Spirited Design Office.
The project has received financial support from Margistar Cost Action and Culture Moves Europe.
 
Laura Boffi is looking for contacts with reindeer herders and stakeholders in Sweden, Norway and Finland to collaborate on the project. Laura will be in Lapland on 15-21 October 2025, to meet herders and stakeholders.

If you are interested to collaborate, please contact Laura: boffilaura@gmail.com 

For more information, visit the project website.