Hi there!

Curiosity is the basis of all science, an ability with which we are all born and that in many ways has developed humankind as individuals as well as a collective to what it is today! Of course – as always – there are many factors that record how curiosity can be developed into something good or bad, a diversity of experiences affect us from birth to death.

Our curiosity is constantly evolving, but books, museums, collections and, not least, Nature is often a good source of inspiration.

Within the IK Foundation, we are all very curious about everything we do (at least most days) and the many subjects and people we work with, as well as the landscapes we visit in fieldwork to various collections we study. However, it is not enough to be curious oneself, in our case 'To Promote Natural & Cultural History', we also continuously act externally to inspire others.

For decades, we have worked on projects around the naturalists, which were called the Linnaeus Apostles, they are in many ways an incarnation of what “curiosity” precisely is, in describing almost everything they observed! In the coming months, we will present new projects in their spirit, which are all based on curiosity and the joy of sharing in-depth knowledge with everyone.

Watch this space to be updated on the following upcoming projects:

• Establishment of an autonomous FIELD STATION | NATURAE OBSERVATIO | SOLANDER’S EYE in Iceland, in cooperation with, inter alia, the University of Iceland.
• Publishing of THE EXPLORER’S FIELD GUIDE | THE RETURN OF THE NATURALISTS - ICELAND. A scientific voyage to Iceland in 1772: Daniel Solander, Joseph Banks and Uno von Troil - England, Scotland, Sweden & Iceland – part of the 250-year celebration of the visit by Daniel Solander to Iceland, in cooperation with, inter alia, the Embassy of Sweden in Reykjavik, Iceland.
• A complete overview of the monograph NATURAE OBSERVATIO SPITSBERGEN – Science Expeditions in the Mundus Linnæi series, to be published in the winter 2023/2024.

Until then, get inspired by taking part in the latest essay NATURAL HISTORY AND CURIOSITIES — A Case Study of Global Traditions, Textiles and Museums in the 18th century, a taste sample from the ongoing textile and natural history project: ‘Personal Belongings and Collections on 18th Century Travels’.

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