Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
The power of water. Copyright: Johanna Hoffmann and Lisa Herold, adapted by »Matters of Activity«

The power of water. Copyright: Johanna Hoffmann and Lisa Herold, adapted by »Matters of Activity«

Dear Friends of »Matters of Activity«,

we all feel it, we are in the middle of an exciting, eventful, productive summer semester! In case you missed the big public event together with the »Driving the Human« initiative: Some impressions of this rich day with workshops, tours, and talks can be found in this issue.
Now we are looking forward to the events with contributions by MoA researchers around the exhibition »Examples to Follow!« in the Uferhallen Wedding, especially to the Kick-off of the new Cluster event series »Activating Circular Networks«. Moreover, we would like to draw your attention to the new dates of the workshop »The Power of Water« organized by Nina Samuel. And if you like, drop by the Science Quiz organized by the Berlin Clusters of Excellence as part of the Long Night of the Sciences on June 17th at the TU Berlin.

Happy reading,
Antje Nestler, Carolin Ott & Franziska Wegener

Liebe Freund:innen von »Matters of Activity«,

wir alle fühlen es, wir sind mittendrin in einem aufregenden, ereignisreichen, produktiven Sommersemester! Falls ihr die große öffentliche Veranstaltung gemeinsam mit der »Driving the Human«-Initiative verpasst habt: Einige Eindrücke von diesem reichen Tag mit Workshops, Führungen und Talks findet ihr in dieser Ausgabe.
Nun blicken wir mit großer Vorfreude auf die Events mit Beteiligung von MoA-Forschenden rund um die Ausstellung »Zur Nachahmung empfohlen!« in den Uferhallen Wedding, in deren Rahmen auch der Startschuss für unsere neue Cluster-Veranstaltungsreihe »Activating Circular Networks« fällt. Darüber hinaus möchten wir euch auf die neuen Termine des von Nina Samuel organisierten Workshops zum Thema Wasser aufmerksam machen.
Und wer mag, ist herzlich eingeladen, beim Science Quiz vorbeizuschauen, den die Berliner Exzellenzcluster im Rahmen der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften am 17. Juni an der TU Berlin veranstalten.

Viel Spaß beim Lesen!
Antje Nestler, Carolin Ott & Franziska Wegener

Driving the Human: Seven Prototypes for Eco-Social Renewal
Impressions from a Rich Day with Hand-On-Workshops, Guided Tours, a Talk, and Debates at Sophienstraße
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch at Matters of Activity, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Camille Blake / Driving the Human
Driving the Human Book Launch, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Matters of Activity

On May 10th, the three-year initiative »Driving the Human: Seven prototypes for eco-social renewal« celebrated the Berlin launch of the final publication with »Matters of Activity« at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. From 3.30 pm, the Cluster opened the doors to its premises in Sophienstraße 22a and invited interested guests to workshops and guided tours, a talk, and lively debates reflecting on the three-year process of »Driving the Human«. Partners, experts, and project authors were on hand to discuss with guests the relationship between research, design and art. On this occasion, also many Cluster members gave insights into their research work at »Matters of Activity«.

Driving the Human, Dancing with Fungi
An AI-Assisted Ethnographic Report by Maxime Le Calvé »in the style of Anton Chekhov«
Driving the Human Book Launch, Workshop »Interweaving Architectures of the Future with Fungi«, 10 May 2023, Drawing: Maxime Le Calvé. Copyright: Matters of Activity

Driving the Human Book Launch, 10 May 2023. Copyright: Maxime Le Calvé, Matters of Activity

One of the many Cluster members who helped shape the day is Maxime Le Calvé. He accompanied the diverse activities with which we were able to attract a diverse young audience, also from outside of academia to Sophienstraße with his incomparable fieldnotes and dared to take a look back in a very personal and experimental ethnographic way. ↗ more

Digitization of Indigenous Knowledge for Extended Reality and Culture
Report on Summer School 2023 at Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching
Borneo Summer School 2023, Photo: Gary Loh Chee Wyai. Copyright: Jürgen Sieck/HTW Berlin

Borneo Summer School 2023, Photo: Gary Loh Chee Wyai. Copyright: Jürgen Sieck/HTW Berlin

17.5.2023

Filtering | Teaching | XR From March 1st to 15th, 2023, MoA members Alwin Cubasch and Jürgen Sieck, together with Eileen Klingner, Verena Metze-Mangold, Elisabeth Thielen, Sophie Schauer, as well as several students, traveled to the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo for the Filtering project to conduct the DAAD-funded Summer School »Digitization of Indigenous Knowledge for Extended Reality and Culture« on site. In addition, six Malaysian scholars and 20 students participated who not only have insight into the indigenous culture and way of life of Borneo but are also members of different indigenous groups. The Summer School took place at the Borneo Cultures Museum in the provincial capital of Kuching, the second-largest museum in Southeast Asia. → more

MY-CO PLACE – Architecture of Sustainable Growth
Cluster Members Natalija Miodragović and Dimitra Almpani-Lekka Give Talk on Textile Architecture Associated with Mushrooms
Fungi as Building Material. Copyright: Vera Meyer, MY-CO PLACE

Fungi as Building Material. Copyright: Vera Meyer, MY-CO PLACE

12.5.2023–31.7.2023

Object Space Agency | Fungi/Mycelium MY-CO PLACE is now open! The TU Berlin transdisciplinary urban laboratory is a learning station, exhibition space and discussion platform that places mushrooms and mushroom materials at the center of the debate about a future way of building and living. In this place, people from science, art and urban society come together and discuss their ideas for a jointly built and sustainable future. In MY-CO PLACE, visitors can come into direct contact with the microscopically small but macroscopically tangible world of fungi. MY-CO PLACE is a transdisciplinary real laboratory by biotechnologist and molecular biologist Prof. Vera Meyer (TU Berlin) and Prof. Sven Pfeiffer (University of Bochum). Vera Meyer opened an accompanying lecture series about fungi as the future building material on May 15th. Natalija Miodragović and Dimitra Almpani-Lekka will give a talk on textile architecture associated with mushrooms on July 10th. → more

See - Ander(e)s Sehen
Cluster Professors Present their Research at Public Lecture Series at weißensee school of art and design berlin
Poster Lecture Series, May–June 2023. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin

Poster Lecture Series, May–June 2023. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin

17.5.2023–28.6.2023

Material Form Function | Filtering | Symbolic Material | Teaching On Wednesday, May 17th, at 5 pm, the public lecture series »see - ander(e)s sehen« started at weißensee school of art and design berlin, with four MoA members taking part in this semester's program. The first lecture was given by Karola Dierichs, Cluster professor for »Material and Code«, sharing her insights about »Designing Matter-Teaching Research and Research through Teaching.« Patricia Ribault, Thomas Ness, and Lucy Norris will give further lectures in the following weeks. → more

Examples to Follow!
Cluster Members Contribute to Exhibition in Uferhallen Wedding
Keyvisual Exhibition »Zur Nachahmung empfohlen«, Berlin, Uferhallen Wedding May to June 2023. Copyright: Jennifer Allora​ ​u​n​d​ ​Guillermo Calzadilla, from »U​n​d​e​r​ Discussion«, 2​0​0​4​/2​0​0​5​, c​o​u​r​t​e​s​y​ ​t​h​e​ ​a​r​t​i​s​t​s, adapted by ​a​n​s​c​h​l​a​e​g​e​.​d​e​

Keyvisual Exhibition »Zur Nachahmung empfohlen«, Berlin, Uferhallen Wedding May to June 2023. Copyright: Jennifer Allora​ ​u​n​d​ ​Guillermo Calzadilla, from »U​n​d​e​r​ Discussion«, 2​0​0​4​/2​0​0​5​, c​o​u​r​t​e​s​y​ ​t​h​e​ ​a​r​t​i​s​t​s, adapted by ​a​n​s​c​h​l​a​e​g​e​.​d​e​

12.5.2023–16.7.2023

Filtering | Material Form Function | Object Space Agency | Wool In its 13th year, the international traveling exhibition »Examples to follow!« returns to its first stop for the 20th edition - enriched by the expertise of international artists and scientists. After stops on four continents, the exhibition finale will take place at Uferhallen Wedding from May 12th to July 16th: a core theme is the conventional construction industry's catastrophic share in the climate disaster. The exhibition will also feature works and talks by MoA researchers Dimitra Almpani-Lekka, Julia Blumenthal, Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten, Vera Meyer, Natalija Miodragović, and Charlett Wenig. In addition, we are pleased to be part of the exhibition's dialog program with the workshop »Talking Wool - Wool in Exchange« organized by Lucy Norris, Khashayar Razghandi, and Hanna Wegener on June 1st. → more

On Cybersecurity and the Immune System of Newborns
New Episodes of »Exzellent Erklärt« Online!
Podcast »Exzellent erklärt«, episodes 28 and 29. Copyright: Exzellent erklärt

News | Exzellent erklärt The German science podcast ↗ Exzellent erklärt (»Excellence Explained«) on current scientific topics reflects the research diversity of Germany’s leading research institutions and Clusters of Excellence, from Africa Studies to Quantum Physics. In each episode, listeners can expect insights into the interdisciplinary work of one research network. The researchers of the Clusters of Excellence, funded by ↗ DFG, talk to podcaster Larissa Vassilian about how they want to find scientifically sound answers to relevant topics of our time – for the society of tomorrow. In Episode 28 you can learn from the Cluster of Excellence ↗ CASA - Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries at Ruhr-Univeristät Bochum how they developed Encryption methods that can withstand even quantum computers. In Episode 29, the ↗ RESIST - Resolving Infection Susceptibility Cluster of Excellence takes us on its journey to find possible answers to the question of why some people only get sick easily when they »catch« viruses or bacteria, while others get very difficult, and how individual therapies can be developed.

»Exzellent Erklärt« is now on LinkedIn. Follow and share all news related to the podcast: ↗ https://www.linkedin.com/company/exzellent-erklaert/
Listen to the new episodes ↗ here.

New Members
Prof. Dr. Ignacio Farías

Ignacio Farías is Professor of Urban Anthropology, Deputy Director of the Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies and Co-Director of the Stadtlabor for Multimodal Anthropology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His research interests focus on current ecological and infrastructural transformations of cities and the associated epistemo-political challenges to the democratization of city-making. Ignacio joined the Cluster as a PI in the projects »Filtering« and »Material Form Function«. → more

Unpacking 4 – Was wird entsammelt?
Nina Samuel und Felix Sattler sind Teil der Bauhaus Archiv Veranstaltungsreihe »Unpacking Jak R. Maier. Geerbt und ausgepackt – vom Wert der Dinge« am 24. Mai 2023
Unpacking Jak R. Maier. Copyright: Bauhaus Archiv

Unpacking Jak R. Maier. Copyright: Bauhaus Archiv

24.5.2023

Object Space Agency | Bauhaus Alles beginnt mit einem unerwarteten Anruf und einem Testament: Das Bauhaus-Archiv erbt den Nachlass des Künstlers Jak R. Maier. Doch wer war Jak R. Maier? Wieso kommt sein Nachlass zu uns? Was bedeutet es, über die Objekte eines anderen Menschen zu verfügen und zu entscheiden? Die Ausstellung »Unpacking Jak R. Maier« setzt sich erstmalig mit dem künstlerischen und privaten Archiv des Berliner Künstlers und unseren Umgang damit auseinander. Die »unpackings« bringen an sechs Themen-Abenden Dynamik in die Ausstellung. In Gesprächen mit Gäst:innen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis und Live-Aktionen erkundet das Museumsteam gemeinsam mit dem Publikum den Nachlass des Künstlers. → more

Talking Wool – Wool in Exchange
Activating Circular Networks Event Series Will Kick Off on 1 June at Uferhallen Wedding
Copyright: Mina Mahouti

Copyright: Mina Mahouti

1.6.2023

Filtering | Material Form Function | Wool | Circular Economies On June 1st, 2023, from 3 to 7 pm, at the Uferhallen in Wedding, the ›Activating Circular Networks‹ event series will kick off with »Talking Wool«: an event that brings designers, academics, politicians, and farmers together to discuss the issues surrounding European and local German wool, the problem of wool waste in particular, and fiber security. The workshop takes place within the ongoing group exhibition »Zur Nachahmung empfohlen - Erkundungen in Ästhetik und Nachhaltigkeit«. Our host for the event is professor and artist Folke Köbberling, an expert in exploring these challenges and potentials of coarse wool for years. → more

The Power of Water
New Dates for Workshops on Water as a Unique Element in Conservation in June
The power of water. Copyright: Johanna Hoffmann and Lisa Herold

The power of water. Copyright: Johanna Hoffmann and Lisa Herold

14.6.2023–15.6.2023

Object Space Agency | Water Water is a unique element also in conservation. It is a universal element that occurs on earth in all states of aggregation at the same time. Its properties, which may seem unremarkable at first sight, allow this element to be used and modified in a number of ways. In addition to established measures, new scientific discoveries are constantly finding their way into conservation. The two workshops »The Power of Water« on June 14th and 15th will offer some insights into the application of water in conservation treatments – with practical examples and experiments, you are welcome to explore conservation methods and techniques.  → more

Dis_abled Nature
Talk by Siegfried Saerberg and Robert Stock at the Humboldt Lab
As part of the performance »Tender Absence«, Siegfried Saerberg sits on a bench amidst deforested trees. Copyright: Disabled Landscapes

As part of the performance »Tender Absence«, Siegfried Saerberg sits on a bench amidst deforested trees. Copyright: Disabled Landscapes

17.6.2023

Filtering | Material Form Function Nature and disability are closely linked. The terms reflect the damage, but also the diversity of our world. The crisis of nature cultures – their dis_ability – is the consequence of globalized economies and climate injustices. Attempts at healing and restoration are linked to them, as are protests and artistic interventions aimed at other futures. But how sustainable are approaches to the climate crisis that rely on visual anthropocentrism and the idea of nature domination? Doesn’t smelling, touching, and hearing have to be brought to the fore in order to make room for a diverse perceptual knowledge that is close to living beings? With their talk on June 17th at 7 pm, Siegfried Saerberg, Professor for Disability Studies and Participation Research, and Cluster Professor Robert Stock were part of the Long Night of the Sciences at the Humboldt Lab on the topic »Climate_in_justice«. → more

Exzellentes Pub-Quiz
Berliner Exzellenzcluster laden zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften ein
Poster Exzellentes Pub-Quiz, Long Night of the Sciences 2023, designed by Neurocure. Copyright: Neurocure.

Poster Exzellentes Pub-Quiz, Long Night of the Sciences 2023, designed by Neurocure. Copyright: Neurocure.

17.6.2023

Science Communication Am 17. Juni laden die Berliner Exzellenzcluster um 19:30 Uhr zum exzellenten Pub-Quiz im TU-Zelt auf dem Südcampus an der Straße des 17. Juni ein! In lockerer Atmosphäre und bei hoffentlich sommerlichen Temperaturen freuen wir uns auf eine lange Quiz-Nacht, bei der ihr mehr über die Forschung der sieben Berliner Cluster erfahrt. Die Veranstaltung ist Teil der Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften. → more

Democracy's Discontent
The Cluster of Excellence »Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)« invites you to a Public Lecture & Discussion
Sharepic Democracy

Sharepic Democracy's Discontent. Copyright: SCRIPTS

Event | SCRIPTS On Monday, June 5th, 2023, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., the Cluster of Excellence »Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)« invites you to a public lecture & discussion with Michael J. Sandel, Political Philosopher, Author, Harvard University, moderated by Stefan Gosepath, Prof. of Practical Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin.

Societies like the U.S. are facing a significant democracy problem, with unprecedented divisions fueled by social media, populism, social inequality, unrest in response to racial violence and the intensification of individual isolation during the global pandemic. Insufficiently regulated by governments, the financialized global economy creates winners and losers and fuels toxic politics, with devastating consequences for our democracies. This is the recently updated and expanded account of »democracy's discontent«, by the well-known political philosopher Michael J. Sandel. His widely debated book of that title is now available in German. To reinvigorate democracy and detoxify politics, Sandel calls for an alternative to the current neoliberal vision of the economy, one that empowers citizens as participants in a shared public life.

Monday, June 5, 2023 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m
Freie Universität Berlin, Lecture Hall 1b
Rostlaube | Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin
↗ Further Information and ↗ Registration