Open Stage for Scientific, Aesthetic and Social Research Practices

In November and December 2025, Alena Trapp, Jann Mausen, and Cluster member Maja Avnat will be guest researchers at the Tieranatomisches Theater (TA T) program »anatomia publica« – Open Stage for Scientific, Aesthetic and Social Research Practices, curated by Paz Ponce (TA T). As part of the interdisciplinary network »Kontaminiert Werden«, they explore urban ecologies and more-than-human social relations.

From 10–13 December 2025, the public is invited to visit the open temporary laboratory and participate in Knowledge Exchange events. For example, research findings and ecological field methods such as »Bioblitz« will be discussed in cooperation with the Späth-Arboretum (Anika Dreilich), combining artistic, cultural, and scientific perspectives on urban ecologies.

The entanglements between humans and plants in the city are multidimensional — aesthetic, technological, and shaped by knowledge traditions. Their analysis requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. Kontaminiert Werden is working to establish a public forum in which situated research and debates are discussed with critical attention to power relations and historical contexts. With support from anatomia publica, they will continue the conceptual work for Kontaminiert Werden Magazine #3. The open guiding question is: What is the political in the relationships between humans and plants?

To this end, Kontaminiert Werden will temporarily inhabit the TA T to develop Magazin #3 publicly and make collective research processes visible. From 26 November 2025, they will host a series of practice-based research sessions with members of their network, such as screenings, workshops, readings, and performances. These gatherings are part of the conceptual process of the magazine and serve to test formats and invite new contributions. Throughout the residency, the Natur/Kultur Instrumentarium – a mobile research assemblage that investigates the entanglements between humans and plants in urban environments – will be active as a catalyst within this process. The open laboratory will be open for visitors to interact with during regular opening hours.