5 Jahre Humboldt Labor. Wissenschaft zum Anfassen

To mark the fifth anniversary of the Humboldt Forum, the Humboldt Labor in Berlin is hosting a special program that combines research, poetry, exhibition practices, and audience participation. 

At “Meet the Scientist,” agroecologist Marcel Robischon and musicologist Sebastian Klotz will offer insights into their research and engage in conversation with the audience. A special edition of the popular poetry slam format “#Lokoskop” will combine science and language in surprising ways. Those interested in learning how an exhibition is created can explore key questions, background information, and perspectives of the “On Water” exhibition in three short, themed guided tours led by members of the curatorial team. In the “WasserGestalten” workshop, children and families have the opportunity to build aquatic animals out of recycled materials. 

These programs exemplify the Humboldt Lab’s mission: it not only imparts knowledge but also creates spaces for exchange, questions, and participation. While some activities were developed for the inaugural exhibition “After Nature,” others have emerged from the current exhibition.

Program

2:00–2:30 p.m. Logoskop forty-five #1

If science is queen at the Humboldt Lab, then #Logoskop is her court jester. Since 2021, artistic freedom has taken the stage monthly in the exhibition space at Humboldt University of Berlin to shake up the scientific perspective through the medium of literature. Equipped with a microphone and sound system, pairs of slam poets wander through the exhibition and recite their texts. 

Joining us this time: slam poets Dominique Macri and Johannes Berger, aka YUNUS. Together, they’ll comment on the exhibition “On Water” with live recitations. Visitors are invited to join them on their eloquent tour. Curated by Bas Böttcher

 2:45–2:55 p.m. Meet the Curator #1 – Short Tour “In the Bathroom”

Three short thematic tours led by members of the curatorial team offer different perspectives on the “On Water” exhibition and its central questions. This tour focuses on the “In the Bath” section of the exhibition.

3:00–3:45 p.m. Meet the Scientist: Science in Dialogue with Marcel Robischon. Losing the Thread of Ariadne on the High Seas

Agricultural scientist Marcel Robischon discusses the ocean and birds, as well as the connection between species extinction and the loss of orientation in shipping. With enthusiasm and expertise, he pursues interdisciplinary research questions, as he already demonstrated in his “Meet the Scientist” presentation in the exhibition “After Nature.” For this anniversary event, he has also chosen a topic that, starting from water, extends far beyond the boundaries of various disciplines.

 3:45–3:55 p.m. Meet the Curator #2 – Short Guided Tour “In the City”

Three short themed tours led by members of the curatorial team offer different perspectives on the “On Water” exhibition and its central questions. This tour focuses on the “In the City” section of the exhibition.

4:00–4:30 p.m. Logoskop Forty-Five #2

If science is queen at the Humboldt Labor, then #Logoskop is her court jester. Since 2021, artistic freedom has taken the stage monthly in the exhibition space at Humboldt University of Berlin to shake up the scientific perspective through the medium of literature. Equipped with a microphone and sound system, pairs of slam poets wander through the exhibition and recite their texts. 

Joining us this time: slam poets Dominique Macri and Johannes Berger, aka YUNUS. Together, they’ll comment on the exhibition “On Water” with texts performed live. Visitors are invited to join them on their eloquent tour. Curated by Bas Böttcher

4:45 – 4:55 p.m. Meet the Curator #3 – Short Tour “On the Coast”

Three short thematic tours led by members of the curatorial team offer different perspectives on the “On Water” exhibition and its central themes. This tour explores the exhibition section “On the Coast.”

5:00–5:45 p.m. Meet the Scientist: Science in Dialogue with Sebastian Klotz. When Sounds Make Waves: Musicology Meets Ocean Research

 In the context of climate change, the question arises as to whether we can understand the sea and the ocean in a different way than we have in the past. New artistic projects engage with the ocean in a sensitive way: it is no longer dramatized, but rather revealed as a space that makes a fascinating sonic presence and possesses its own agency. Whale songs are integrated into techno sounds, allowing us to experience them in a different way than in a scientific documentary.
Musicologist Sebastian Klotz describes how this can lead to the development of new, responsible approaches to the ocean. Since complex acoustic processes take place in the ocean—processes that are central, for example, to communication among marine mammals—there is a need for an expanded sound and musicology of living organisms that engages in dialogue with ecosystem research and marine biology.
Starting with the functioning of a hydrophone—a device used to record acoustic phenomena in water—Sebastian Klotz draws on his own recordings in the Aegean Sea to provide insights into the emerging field of aquatic musicology.

2:00–5:00 p.m. Water Shapes. Creative Workshop for Families

Jellyfish, whales, penguins, and boxfish: many fascinating animals live on, in, and under the water. The “On Water” science exhibition showcases some of them. In a creative workshop, children ages 6 and up—accompanied by their parents or another adult—can follow instructions to recreate a selection of aquatic creatures while incorporating their own creative ideas. The workshop uses discarded materials from the Humboldt Forum. This results in exciting and fun—but also sustainable—animals that participants can take home at the end.

 
- Participation in this special anniversary program is free; registration is not required.

- Ages 14 and up
Humboldt Lab, 1st floor
- Part of:Five Years Open