BECOMING RIVER – Fluss werden

In the organizer's words:

The Murg has been shaping the northern Black Forest for over two million years. Today it runs between infrastructure and industry, embedded in a landscape in which nature and use are closely intertwined. From Gernsbach onwards, its course is increasingly regulated; downstream, it is characterized by straightening and edging until it finally flows into the Rhine. But the river is more than just a geographical line - it stands for experiences, emotions and relationships between people and the environment.

As part of the Interreg project "Clim'Ability Care", employees and students at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, led by Prof. Daniel Fetzner, investigated the challenges of climate change on the Upper Rhine and in the Murg Valley over a period of six years. The results of BECOMING RIVER, which is thematically linked to issues raised in the exhibition "Critical Zones. Horizons of a New Earth Policy" exhibition, will be presented to the public in June. It will kick off with a panel discussion with scientists, artists and researchers at the ZKM.

For years, the project accompanied people along the Murg river with regard to changes in the external and internal water levels. A probe made of driftwood, which drifted through the water and landed at various points along the banks, showed the researchers the way. To a fish farmer, to a neurological clinic, to a sawmill operator, to young people on the banks, to an old man in a nursing home and, last but not least, to themselves. The stories that washed up connect with places, moods and the water. The approach was open and observational - going with the flow, letting oneself drift, sensory openness to what is revealed.

As part of the program, experts, including climate researcher Rüdiger Glaser, will discuss topics such as flood protection, interventions in natural systems and social responsibility together with representatives from administration and the public. The panel combines scientific findings with artistic perspectives and invites participants to develop new approaches to the relationship between humans and the environment.

The results will be exhibited in the Gernsbach town hall from June 12 to 14. In addition to installations, cinematic works created under the direction of Adrian Schwartz will also be on display. Visitors are cordially invited to contribute their own artifacts and stories about the Murg to the exhibition. Because: "Becoming terrestrial means starting with yourself," says Daniel Fetzner.

Participants:
Prof. Daniel Fetzner, media artist/HS Offenburg
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Glaser, Geographer/University of Freiburg
Prof. Dr. Florence Rudolph, sociologist/INSA Strasbourg
Dr. Dr. Martin Dornberg, psychosomatist and philosopher, University of Freiburg
Bastian Schleier, architect/RWTH Aachen University
Adrian Schwartz, Director/Film Academy Ludwigsburg

Sonification of climate data 1750-2025
Concert and discussion with Prof. Ephraim Wegner, electronic musician/HS Offenburg

Moderation: Jürgen Reuss

The 8-channel video installation "Hydrosphere Murg" from the Laboratory for Media Ecology at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences will be on display in front of the lecture hall until 14.06.2026.