Microverse I-6, 2023. Copyright: Kathrin Linkersdorff
Photographs Created by Kathrin Linkersdorff in Collaboration with Regine Hengge Exhibited at Haus am Kleistpark
Circularity and sustainability of material flows is a hallmark of intact ecosystems. This principle has now been stunningly visualized in ultrahigh resolution, large format photographs - the MICROVERSE series - created by Kathrin Linkersdorff in collaboration with Cluster member Regine Hengge, Professor for Microbiology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The exhibition at Haus am Kleistpark (Berlin-Schöneberg) will be on view from March 21st to June 8th, 2025. We kindly invite you to the opening on March 20th, 2025 with an introduction by Horst Bredekamp.
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Cluster Member Emma Sicher Gives Talk at Futurium
Moderator Pireeni Sundaralingam, a cognitive scientist, and her guests, Emma Sicher, MoA Pre-Doctoral Researcher and Anna Yona, founder and managing director of »Wildling« will discuss the future of sustainable design and the unconventional use of raw materials at Berlin’s ›House of Futures‹. Emma is a designer investigating materials and foods at the intersection of microbiology and anthropology to envision relational futures. What would happen if we used different materials for our clothes and our shoes? How could our food systems or our buildings use completely different raw materials? A ticket is required, but the admission is free of charge.
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Exhibition of research objects during the MoA PhD presentations 2024. Posterlayout Ada Favaron. Copyright: Matters of Activity
Presentations Doctoral Program 2024
Under the title »testing un/common grounds«, the Matters of Activity doctoral cohort impressively presented the progress of their diverse research projects during the Cluster retreat. The event included the three moderated panel discussions as well as an exhibition of selected research objects that were at the core of the format. With their various disciplinary backgrounds ranging from art, architecture, engineering and design to the humanities and natural sciences, the group explored this interdisciplinary ›un/common ground‹ and aimed to develop forms of common knowledge that respect locally-based actors and embrace collaborations with diverse agencies and species.
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Microbes and Materials, 2024. Copyright: Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung
Lecture Series Organized by Anna A. Gorbushina
The public lecture series, organized by the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und —prüfung (BAM) and the Freie Universität Berlin (FU), will focus on the interactions of living organisms with materials. The five lectures by internationally renowned experts will be in English and take place on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. starting on September 26th. They will be moderated by MoA member Anna A. Gorbushina (BAM&FU), Liane G. Benning (GFZ&FU), and Matthias Rillig (FU Berlin). The lecture series takes place at BAM headquarters and Branch Adlershof. All lectures can be attended in person or followed digitally.
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Still »Change by Design«. Copyright: ARTE.tv
Claudia Mareis Contributes as an Expert to an ARTE Documentary on Sustainable Design
For all our German and French-speaking friends we have a special treat: ARTE TV visited us and made our Co-Director Claudia Mareis and »Matters of Activity« part of a documentation about sustainable fashion and of course design. English subtitles as well as other languages are also available, so don’t miss it!
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Fermentation preparation with Tanyaporn Tantasathien. Thailand 2024. Copyright: Emma Sicher
Emma Sicher Exchanged Knowledge with Researchers and Practitioners in Thailand
Between May and June, doctoral researcher Emma Sicher spent three weeks in Thailand as part of her PhD in Design Studies. Invited by Professor Aracha Krasae-in, she presented the work of the Cluster and her current research at the Faculty of Architecture of Kasetsart University in Bangkok. There, she also exchanged ideas with Professor Prakit Sukyai, an expert in Biotechnology and Biopolymers. Additionally, she presented at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts of Thammasat University, invited by Professor Wuthigrai Siriphon.
The heart of the experience consisted of visits to two sites associated with acetic fermentation techniques that can generate biomaterials. These techniques range from ancient practices to more recent methods, employed in various ways from fertilizers to health-promoting substances. The visits took place in small artisanal production realities in Nakhon Ratchasima province, including Stefano and Somporn Abbruzzese, and Micro Friends, an initiative run by Tanyaporn Tantasathien and Waratchanat Thongthiangtham at the Baan Ama farm stay. more
The heart of the experience consisted of visits to two sites associated with acetic fermentation techniques that can generate biomaterials. These techniques range from ancient practices to more recent methods, employed in various ways from fertilizers to health-promoting substances. The visits took place in small artisanal production realities in Nakhon Ratchasima province, including Stefano and Somporn Abbruzzese, and Micro Friends, an initiative run by Tanyaporn Tantasathien and Waratchanat Thongthiangtham at the Baan Ama farm stay. more
Publication »Raue Reihe«, edited by Horst Bredekamp with a first issue by Regine Hengge on »The Essential Role of Microbes in Planetary Metabolism«. Copyright: Matters of Activity
Edited by Horst Bredekamp with a First Issue by Regine Hengge on »The Essential Role of Microbes in Planetary Metabolism«
The academic series »Raue Reihe / Raw Studies« is a new publication organ of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« edited by Horst Bredekamp. Modeled on »grey literature« formats, such as the preprints of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin or the legendary Merve volumes, its issues will appear at irregular intervals and aim to support the publishing of Cluster literature in terms of processes, and rapidity, spontaneity, and process character. Its title, »Raue Reihe«, emphasizes the resistance of matter that continues to be the decisive determination of existence in all its varieties in our digital age.
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Beetle-infestation of spruce, Feldbuch, Frankonia. Image: Pelin Asa, MPI-CI, MoA
Interdisciplinary Workshop at Berlinische Galerie
Modern life is mainly built on concrete, glass and steel. Recently, however, these construction materials have been increasingly discussed due to their impact on emissions, waste production, and the climate crisis. In response to this, designers, architects, and other scholars investigate novel approaches to biomaterials, recycling options, and circular models of fabrication and construction. The aim is to form symbiotic alliances with fungi, beetle-infested trees, bacteria, or residual materials and to acknowledge the surprising potentials of these unconventional collaborators. Can elements of nature thus be understood as equal partners in construction, architecture, and the design of daily objects? We cordially invite you to this workshop on June 5th, 2024 at Berlinische Galerie, to discuss these symbiotic practices as they hint at other collaborative futures beyond resource extraction.
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Flyer Symposium Regine Hengge
35 years of the Regine Hengge Lab
The symposium celebrated the key scientific contributions of Prof. Dr. Regine Hengge and her laboratory over the past 35 years in the field of Microbial Stress Responses: from the stationary phase and general stress response to regulatory networks, second messengers, biofilms, and the interface of science and art. Talks will feature Hengge Lab members, collaborators, and colleagues, presenting personal and historical research perspectives and, importantly, vignettes of their latest exciting discoveries and insights.
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Copyright: Sistemas Materiales
Pioneering Publication on Biomaterials Launched in Buenos Aires
»Trazos« is a pioneering publication in Spanish in the interdisciplinary field of biomaterials developments. The book is divided into three sections which explore, interrogate, shape, and reflect on these scientific and creative advancements. This book encourages interaction between the Spanish-speaking community and provides access to a topic predominantly discussed in English. It seeks to stimulate dialogue and amplify the reach of the Latin American biomaterials field to a broader audience. Likewise, it aspires to foster collaborations that transcend language barriers, promoting enriching exchanges of ideas and knowledge. The book, edited by MoA Associated Member Heidi Jalkh and Gisela Pozzetti, and designed by Paula Rodríguez, includes contributions by MoA researchers Bastian Beyer, Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten, Wolfgang Schäffner, Daniel Suárez, Charlett Wenig and by Rodrigo Martin Iglesias, Coordinator of the Master Open Design.
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Image in the background: Shubo (酒母), literally sake mother, is a starter culture that takes weeks to cultivate. Copyright: Maya Hey
Open Lecture and Workshop with Maya Hey
In the open lecture on March 5th and the workshop on March 6th Maya Hey, an expert on human–microbe relations in food settings with degrees in dietetics and food studies, focused on fermentation as a hands-on practice for knowing microbes and working with them. The workshop was fully booked!
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Plektonik Structural Textiles column – continuous wooden ›Active Yarns‹ 40 mm diameter loops. Copyright: Daniel Suárez & Natalija Miodragović
Cluster Members Beyer, Miodragović, Mossé and Suárez Publish in Proceedings of the UIA World Congress of Architects Copenhagen 2023
The book provides new perspectives from leading researchers accentuating and examining the central role of the built environment in conceiving and implementing multifaceted solutions for the complex challenges of our understanding of planetary resources and circularity, revealing critical potentials for architecture and design to contribute in more informed and long-term ways to the urgent transition of our society. Bastian Beyer et. al. contributed with the article »Towards a Bacterially-Induced Textile Architecture« and Daniel Suárez and Natalija Miodragović an article on »Plektonik— Active Yarns for Adaptive Loop-Based Material Systems«.
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Microverse I-6, 2023. Copyright: Kathrin Linkersdorff
Photographs Created by Kathrin Linkersdorff in Collaboration with Regine Hengge Exhibited at Deichtorhallen
Circularity and sustainability of material flows is a hallmark of intact ecosystems. This principle has now been stunningly visualized in ultrahigh resolution, large format photographs – the MICROVERSE series – created by Kathrin Linkersdorff in collaboration with Cluster member Regine Hengge, Professor for Microbiology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The exhibition at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg will be on view from October 27th, 2023 to January 21st, 2024.
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Leben machen. Die Zoëpolitik der synthetischen Biologie. Copyright: DeGruyter
Publikation von Clustermitglied Martin Müller Open Access veröffentlicht
Die synthetische Biologie versucht sich gegenwärtig am Re-Design ganzer Gattungen, arbeitet an der ›resurrectio‹ längst ausgestorbener Arten zur Stabilisierung kollabierender Ökosysteme und greift mittels der Genomeditierungstechnologie CRISPR gezielt in die menschliche Keimbahn ein.
Für eine Kritik dieser prometheischen Biologie verbindet Martin Müller Ansätze aus Medien- und Kulturwissenschaft mit Designtheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Wissensgeschichte. Seine ›Genealogie der Zoëpolitik‹ ist gleichsam eine neue Macht- und Lebenstheorie. Sie beschreibt einen ›Willen zum Lebenmachen‹, der um 1800 entstand. Dieser intensivierte sich und eskalierte im 20. Jahrhundert in der ›molekularen Revolution‹ und heute im Auftauchen der synthetischen Biologie, welche die planetarische Natur und das biologische Leben in Gänze als ein Interventionsfeld ingenieurtechnischer Kalküle begreift. more
Für eine Kritik dieser prometheischen Biologie verbindet Martin Müller Ansätze aus Medien- und Kulturwissenschaft mit Designtheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Wissensgeschichte. Seine ›Genealogie der Zoëpolitik‹ ist gleichsam eine neue Macht- und Lebenstheorie. Sie beschreibt einen ›Willen zum Lebenmachen‹, der um 1800 entstand. Dieser intensivierte sich und eskalierte im 20. Jahrhundert in der ›molekularen Revolution‹ und heute im Auftauchen der synthetischen Biologie, welche die planetarische Natur und das biologische Leben in Gänze als ein Interventionsfeld ingenieurtechnischer Kalküle begreift. more
Copyright: »Spontaneous Generations«, https://www.spontaneousgenerations.com/
Karin Krauthausen and Michael Friedman Published Article in Special Issue of »Spontaneous Generations«
»Spontaneous Generations«, the Journal of the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto launched a special issue on ›agency‹. The volume »From Bacteria to Gaia: Levels of Biological Agency« includes an article of the Cluster members Karin Krauthausen and Michael Friedman on the agency and activities of materials in the 21st century.
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Leben im Schleim. Copyright: FASZ
Read about MoA in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung, the Purpose Magazine, The Praxis Journal and Tagesspiegel
We are very happy that »Matters of Activity« has been highlighted by many different (international) news outlets lately. Next to beautiful biofilm pictures and information from Regine Hengge, Cluster Members Wolfgang Schäffner and Maxime Le Calvé have been interviewed by Purpose Magazine and The Praxis Journal from Argentina. Wolfgang Schäffner has also been interviewed in connection to the BUA initiative »BUA Calling« by Tagesspiegel Berlin. With our involvement in the Berlin Science Week news about MoA will also travel fast in the upcoming weeks.
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MoA Project »Bacterial Cellulose: Co-Weaving Biofilms« at the Milano Triennale 2022. Copyright: Triennale Milano – photo by DSL Studio
An Installation for the Triennale XXIII: »Unknown Unknows, An Introduction to Mysteries«
Cellulose of different forms and origins is woven together in this structure: pieces of wood, paper threads and biofilms grown by bacteria. A collaborative textile is created – human, plant and microbial. Three MoA research projects, Weaving, Material Form Function and Object Space Agency and with that many MoA Members worked together on the project »Bacterial Cellulose: Co-Weaving Biofilms« shown at the Triennale di Milano XXIII »Unknown Unknows, An Introduction to Mysteries«, in the thematic exhibition »Alchemic Laboratory«, curated by Ingrid Paoletti, from July 15th to December 11th, 2022.
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Still from Interview with Bastian Beyer and Skander Hathroubi showing the making of parts of the »Active Curtain Project« shown at the exhibition »After Nature« at Humboldt Lab. Copyright: Anne von Petersdorff (info@annevonpetersdorff.com) for Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Interview with Bastian Beyer and Skander Hathroubi
The Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity. Image Space Material« investigates materials that are built by bacteria. Architects and biologists work together to explore new, sustainable materials. Some of these bacterial structures were on display at the Humboldt Lab. In the interview with Cluster Members Bastian Beyer and Skander Hathroubi, parts of the development of the »Active Curtains Project« are presented in more detail.
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Water Kefir, Copyright: Antje Nestler
#3 Jumpstart Drinks: Kefir, Kvass and Dandelions
In the session of the ferment-activity club on June 16th 2021, MoA member Antje Nestler shared her practice and showed us the shiny world of water kefir crystals.
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Can Bacteria Spin a Yarn? Kick-Off event »MitWissenschaft/ WeSearch«, Humboldt Forum Berlin, 29 April 2021. Copyright: Humbolt Forum
Cluster Members Opened Event Series »MitWissenschaft/ WeSearch« at the Humboldt Forum
On Thursday, April 29th, 7–9:30 pm, members of the Cluster gave insights into the research of »Matters of Activity« in an interactive live show, thus opening the event series »MitWissenschaft/ WeSearch« at the Humboldt Forum.
Using concrete examples from the Cluster projects »Weaving« and »Filtering«, MoA members Bastian Beyer, Alwin Cubasch, Peter Fratzl, Regine Hengge, Claudia Mareis, Léa Perraudin, Christiane Sauer and Wolfgang Schäffner showed how the natural sciences, the humanities and the design disciplines work closely together to find innovative solutions to contemporary problems.
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Fermentation toolkit. Copyright: Bastian Beyer
Next Workshop »Kombucha Refresher«
Out of the workshop »Ferment-Activity and Nurturing Materials« organized by Cluster Members Maxime le Calvé, Alwin Cubasch and Anna Heitger in December 2020 the so-called »ferment-activity club« has emerged to continue exchange about fermentation practices. In April 2021, semi-regular meetings started in order to pursue a »club of activity« approach to research: sharing experiences, staying with the trouble, and learning together about other fermentation practices in an online workshop format.
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Hella Jongerius, Woven Cosmos – Pliable Architecture (2021), Copyright: Hella Jongerius / VG Bild-Kunst 2021, Photo: Laura Fiorio.
Essay by Regine Hengge and Karin Krauthausen on the Occasion of the Exhibition »Hella Jongerius: Woven Cosmos« Published
Regine Hengge's and Karin Krauthausen's essay »The Event of Fibre« has been published in the volume accompanying the exhibition »Hella Jongerius: Woven Cosmos« which was shown in Berlin's Gropius Bau from April 29th to September 15th, 2021.
Whether in DNA interactions, bacterial biofilms or city architectures, weaving can be a model for different and relational »ecologies of life«. Ranging across artistic practices, cell biology, and human forms, molecular biologist Hengge and cultural historian Krauthausen (both Project »Weaving«) examine what we can learn from nature's enmeshed processes.
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Biomaterials from Potsdam for Charité Dentists
Cluster Member Cécile Bidan Receives Further Funding
In 2021, Cluster member Cecile Bidan received further funding for the interdisciplinary research project »InterDent«, together with dental colleagues at the Charité. Its goal is to make dental fillings or crowns more durable in the future. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding this project with 2.1 million euros, initially for three years.
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Poster Shelf Live. Copyright: Matters of Activity
An Online Event on 10 December 2020
Fermentation is a complex set of techniques bridging food substances, microbes, and the environment, which makes us question the distinction between decay and flourishing. Inherently a filtering activity, fermentation relies on the long-standing relationship of yeast and bacteria to nutrients and the elements. Through practices of food transformation, preservation and consumption, the newly woven symbiotic entities emerge from fermentation processes and enter into a different ecosystem – that of the human body, itself a multi-organism entity. These entities are directly in correspondence with our microbiome: fermented food has, in a way, already stepped into the human digestive system before it is ingested.
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Poster Workshop »Material as Environmental Device«. Copyright: Kristina Pfeifer »detail woven skin of Kurdish black tent« & Cécile Bidan »detail of bacterial cellulose biofilm«
A Zoom Workshop on 10 September 2020
The workshop »Material as Environmental Device« on September 10th, 2020 gathers researchers and practitioners from the fields of architecture, ecological anthropology and the natural sciences to discuss the status of the material as an active element of environmental design on the basis of past and contemporary buildings and current research in the Cluster »Matters of Activity«. Three thematic sessions – »Materials and Environments«, »Essential Material« and »Active Skins« – focus on different aspects of material activity, addressing design and production techniques, ecological and cultural implications and the prospects of climate-responsive architectures.
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The weaving/braiding robots are part of an experimental setting of the ERC group PENELOPE. Copyright: Karin Krauthausen
with Dr. Ellen Harlizius-Klück
The »Weaving« project continued its series »Weaving in Different Disciplines« on November 7th, 2019 with Dr. Ellen Harlizius-Klück, Project Leader of the ERC group PENELOPE at Deutsches Museum Munich.
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Wild silk wrapper from the Marka Dafing in Safané, Burkina Faso (showing the sheen). Video still from the film installation at the exhibition »DAOULA | Sheen. West-African Wild Silk On Its Way« (Tieranatomisches Theater Berlin). Film installation by Thabo Thindi with film material from Salif Sawadog and others.
West-African Textile Craft Meets European Science and Design
Bacterial Weavings
From Microbiological Activity and Fibrous Biofilm Matrices to Design and Architecture
Open Space Event, 9 November 2023. Copyright: Matters of Activity
MoA's Showroom and Workspace | Currently on Winter Break
With the »Activarium«, we want to actively engage with potential partners from the industry, start-ups, NGOs, politics and society as a whole to initiate an exploratory exchange on active materials, bio- & culture-inspired innovation as well as sustainability approaches. We want visitors to experience our prototypes to make MoA’s intentions and research tangible and accessible. The »Activarium« serves as a work-in-progress showcase of different research strands and processes. Our visitors can dive into the research as it's happening before its published results.
Walk in and experience the »Activarium« Thursdays, 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm! If you are a group of more than 5 people or if the opening hours do not fit your schedule, please contact us via moa.activarium [at] hu-berlin.de!
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Microverse I-6, 2023. Copyright: Kathrin Linkersdorff
Blurring the Boundaries between Science and Art in a Living Theatrum naturae et artis
Circularity of growth and decay as well as sustainability of the flow of living matter is a hallmark of intact ecosystems. This principle is stunningly visualized in ultrahigh resolution, large format photographs - the MICROVERSE series - created by freelance artist Kathrin Linkersdorff in collaboration with microbiologist Regine Hengge.
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