Special exhibition

Humanity has always been fascinated by ideas, visions and versions of the future. Faced with global challenges, themes like resource scarcity, climate crisis and socioeconomic injustice dominate social awareness. Designers and artists increasingly focus on aspects of possible “futures”: The plural reflects the options, scenarios and also the uncertainty with which we look forward.

Design no longer sees itself as a discipline solely of aesthetics and function. It searches for possibilities, explores systems and processes, and is often outcome-independent. This exhibition shows that design serves as a source of inspiration, threading together research, industry and society. 150 years after the museum was founded, we consider the role of design in
the world of tomorrow. Across three chapters, the exhibition explores themes of the distant and near futures.
 

WHAT IF ...

The first chapter of the exhibition shows proposals from the fields of art and design, which use speculative methods to make different futures visible and tangible. Symbiotic, post-human, and interspecies relationships are the focus. We question the role and responsibility of humans within the ecosystem. The emphasis is on cooperation with microorganisms, cohabitation with animals and plants, or the protection of Martian inhabitants. Visitors encounter not only post-apocalyptic futures, but also positive and desirable ones. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: human behavior must change fundamentally, and swiftly.

With works by
Juliana Schneider, Superflux, Alexandra Fruhstorfer, Institute of Queer Ecology, Pei-Ying Lin, Studio Circology, Nonhuman Nonsense, Bea Brücker & Vincent Goos, Theresa Schubert, Johanna Seelemann with Fraunhofer Institut, Near Future Laboratory

READY MADE FUTURE

Some futures are already here. Materials and products on the market today come from an already existing economic circulation. The Berlin office “Haute Innovation”, which identifies itself as an agency for future materials, has made a selection of samples, applied examples and aesthetic products. These materials come from urban and biological waste, agricultural and forestry by-products, and renewable raw materials, among other sources. Organic fabrication is another promising design field that promotes the use of and collaboration with living organisms.

with about 90 contribution by among others
Charlett Wenig in cooperation with Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung, 
 Ecovative: Air Mycelium foam, Blue Blocks: seawood, eco-softfibre: eco foam, Krill design: 3D print with fruit skin, Norskin: products from fishleather, Qmilk: protein fibers, Golden Compound: biodegradable plant pots, Grown Bio: furniture made from mycelium, Scobytech  

MATERIAL LAB

Research with microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae is currently a growing field that others exciting possibilities. These organisms produce materials with unique properties, through biotechnological processes. Although research approaches at universities and design studios vary, there is a shared goal: rethinking the relationship between humans and the environment. Traditional resources such as plants and
animals are finite, which is why it is future-oriented to view living beings as partners instead of exploiting them. Materials produced in this way can be sustainably returned to the same cycle. In the Material_Lab, visitors can look over researchers‘ shoulders and follow the process from concept to possible end product.

with works by
Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle (Saale), Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, Hochschule Anhalt Dessau, Freie Universität Bozen, Studio Envisions & TextielLab (NL), Studio Klarenbeek & Dros

Curators of the overall concept:
Sabine Epple, Silvia Gaetti

For the chapter “Ready made Future“:
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters and Diana Drewes, Haute Innovations, Berlin

Exhibition design:
lfm2 (Leipzig and Berlin)
The design office lfm2 works at the crossroad between art, architecture, and (urban) intervention.
Predominantly in the public and spaces in motion, as well as in spaces of communities and get-togethers, lfm2 conceptualizes installations, art at construction, exhibitions and small architectures, and designs processes focusing on participatory interactions and social involvement.

BOOK CLUB

By the Leipzig artist Karoline Schneider. Invited guests will read and discuss books in the original language and in translation that deal with
books dealing with futures, ecology and symbiosis. Including texts by Octavia Butler, Lynn Margulis and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Info and registration: earthseed@posteo.com

Dates: Wed 08.01./05.02./05.03./02.04./07.05.25 each 6.00 pm

A one-off admission ticket to the exhibition is required for the book club.

FILM SERIES ‘Many Tomorrows’

In cooperation with the Cinémathèque Leipzig. Filmic visions of the future between nature and technology. Based on people and their relationship and their relationship to the environment, materials and design, the film series presents various visions from film history that show the future a way forward.

Venue: Cinémathèque Leipzig, Karl- Liebknecht-Straße 109
Tickets and info: cinematheque-leipzig.de
Dates: Tue 17.12.24 /21.01./18.02./18.03./15.04./20.05.25 each 7.30 pm