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How do we consider the human body after taking into consideration that more than half of the cells in and on the human body are actually nonhuman? Around the turn of the millennium scientists coined the term microbiome for all the bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms in and at the human body. While scientific research has grown exponentially since then, there is also a remarkable interest from international artists researching, experimenting, and creating artworks related to the microbiome.Some philosophical thoughts about the phenomenon of the microbiome: In its enormous and intricate complexity, the microbiome invites a profound reconsideration of the self. Traditionally, Western cultures tend to think of identity as something unique and autonomous, rooted in the individual. However, the microbiome challenges this notion by showing that human bodies are not isolated beings or units, but rather ecosystems that are in constant symbiosis with trillions of microbial companions. These microorganisms shape our biology, our emotions, and even our thoughts, blurring the boundaries between self and other. In this sense, the microbiome suggests that individuality is a permeable, dynamic concept – a constantly evolving web of interdependence rather than a fixed, isolated essence. Through this view, life itself becomes less a matter of ownership and more a phenomenon of coexistence, where identity is a shared story written in collaboration with myriad unseen forces.
For the upcoming MAD TEA PARTY, Regine Rapp and Christian de Lutz invite to collectively explore the phenomenon of the microbiome that brings forth many complex questions about human identity and our relation to our multiple selves. Through speculative fabulation and storytelling, with the help of interactive games and performative body exercises, we will embark together on an exciting journey to collectively recognize an invisible world which transgresses boundaries and proofs constant permeabilities.
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Please sign up for the event by 5th of December at [email protected] with the subject line ‘Registration for microbiome”. The event is free and limited to 10 participants selected by lottery. The event will be held in English
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Regine Rapp is an art historian, curator, and co-director of Art Laboratory Berlin (ALB). She researches, teaches, curates, and publishes on 21st century art at the interface with science and technology, currently on her newest research project “Hybrid Art Histories”. As a guest professor for Art & Science she teaches and researches at the Art Academy Münster. As co-founder of Art Laboratory Berlin (2006) she has conceived, curated, and researched on more than 50 exhibition projects (Time and Technology, Synaesthesia, [macro]biologies & [micro]biologies). Along with Christian de Lutz she developed the international conference Synaesthesia Discussing a Phenomenon in the Arts, Humanities and (Neuro) Science (2013). The Nonhuman Subjectivities (2016/17) and Nonhuman Agents (2017/18) series of exhibitions, performances, workshops, and an international conference reflected on Art and Science in the post-anthropocentric era. Current publications: “Artistic Research and Ecology: Pollution, Plastic, Water” (I Reichle (ed.): Plastic Ocean: Art and Science Responses to Marine Pollution, Berlin, Boston 2021); “Ko-Existenzen. Über menschliche und nicht-menschliche Akteur:innen” (Kunstforum International, vol. 281, 2022); “Mehr-als-menschliche Allianzen” (J Ullrich (ed.): Nichtmenschliche Ästhetik, Stuttgart: Metzler 2024).
Christian de Lutz is a curator, originally from New York. As co-founder and co-director of Art Laboratory Berlin he has curated over 50 exhibitions and many talks workshops and seminars, including the series Time and Technology, Synaesthesia, [macro]biologies & [micro]biologies, and Nonhuman Subjectivities. His curatorial work focuses on the interface of art, science and technology in the 21st century, with special attention given to BioArt, DIY Science initiatives and facilitating collaborations between artists and scientists. His interest is in building multidisciplinary networks and unleashing their creative potential. Currently he is involved in collaborative cultural projects connecting Berlin with other cities in Europe and Asia, building international networks for art-science and DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) communities. He has published numerous articles and essays in journals and books, including [macro]biologies & [micro]biologies. Art and the Biological Sublime in the 21st Century (co-edited, 2015), which reflects theoretically on Art Laboratory Berlin’s 2013-15 program, and an introductory essay in Half Life. Machines/ Organisms, Artistic Positions in the context of Climate Change and Extinction (2018). In context of the interdisciplinary art & science project Mind the Fungi (2018-20) he was a researcher affiliated with the Institute for Biotechnology, TU Berlin.
www.artlaboratory-berlin.org
Image: François-Joseph Lapointe: Microbiome selfie (Performance: 1000 Handshakes), 2016, exhibited at Art Laboratory Berlin
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Emergency Project Room, Brunnenstr 43, Berlin Mitte, Brunnenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Deutschland,Berlin, Germany