Nobody was dirty: Cultural exhibitions as societal transition tools

This brief article shares a social transition attempt where a cultural exhibition was used to question the resources consumed in the name of cleanliness. Thirty-two pairs of unwashed jeans were installed at the National Gallery of Victoria with the aim of making people more aware of the hyper-clean social standards reproduced in everyday life, that consume energy, water and chemicals. This short speculative piece aims to contribute to the Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions dialogue by conceptualising cultural interventions, like exhibitions, as a societal transition tool, and providing empirical data on one cultural exhibition's attempt to shift cleanliness practices away from resource intensity.