104DIORAMASof curiosities individualized and decontextualized objects against plain
backgrounds, natural history dioramas presented complex and rich jux-
tapositions of objects. However, both aesthetic approaches capitalized on
narrativization: in opposition to the idiosyncratic tone of the cabinets of
curiosities, dioramas spoke of universal ethicosocial values. This aspect
made dioramas the most successful epistemological tool of natural his-
tory during the modern age: Through the implementation of taxidermy,
dioramas could credibly vocalize ideological truths.
In 1999, Mark Dion began work on a full-scale diorama titled Landfill
(fig. 3.1). As in his critical approach to cabinets of curiosities, Dion de-
mystified objects. He evidenced the diorama as an epistemological tool
whose aesthetics can be critically problematized by deterritorialization.
This operation shows that natural objects do not simply embody mean-
ing, but that meaning is unstable and can be produced by a number of
variables, including their institutional matrix and affiliation. Thus,
FIGURE 3.1 Mark Dion, Landfill, 1999–2000. Mixed media. 71 1/2 × 147 1/2 × 64 in. (181.6
× 374.7 × 162.6 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York.