multispecies design1

22.3.²⁴ multispecies design1 international symposium

Curated by Claudia Banz and Lynn Harles

The interdisciplinarity of the natural sciences, anthropology, cultural studies and the creative disciplines of design and architecture has been undergoing a »multispecies turn« for some years now. This interdisciplinary approach challenges traditional anthropocentric perspectives and instead emphasizes the interdependence and interconnectedness of all life forms, including plants, animals and microorganisms. Against the backdrop of global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, the multispecies turn offers important insights and strategies in relation to ethical and social debates, environmental and nature conservation, sustainability and resilience. 

The symposium »Multispecies Design« aims at mapping positions and combines research and best-practice examples from different scientific and design perspectives. 

program

Admission from 1:00pm
1:30–1:45pm: 
Welcome and introduction: Claudia Banz (Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin) 
1:45–2:00pm: 
Lynn Harles (Berlin): »Towards multispecies engagement: Why we need a more-than-human turn in design and science.«
2:00–2:30pm: 
Eben Kirksey (Oxford): »Decentered multispecies design.«
2:30–3:00pm: 
Anja Wegner (Konstanz): »Fluid spaces: Exploring a fish-human relationship through architecture.«
3:00–3:30pm: 
Rasa Weber (Berlin/Zürich): »What I talk about when I talk about diving: A designer in the ocean.«
3:30–4:00pm: 
Christian Reichel (Berlin): »Trans-local environmental knowledge and collaboration: Strategies for strengthening socio-ecological resilience in the biodiversity crisis.«

4:00–4:30pm: Coffee Break
4:30–5:00pm: 
Sarah Dorkenwald and Karianne Fogelberg/UnDesignUnit (München): »Neuperlach of the animals-participatory species trail.«
5:00–5:30pm: 
Anab Jain/Superflux (London): »The Raven’s Ark: Stories without human heroes«
5:30–6:00pm: 
Juliana Schneider (Zürich): »Designing for more-than-human futures«
6:00–6:30pm: 
Nonhuman Nonsense (Riga, Malmö, Dharamshala): »Nonhuman Nonsense«
6:30–7:00pm: 
Maxime Le Calvé (Berlin): »The forests within and the brains without. Ethnographic conversations with neurosurgery and design at the age of the hyposubject«

22.3. 1:30—7:00pm
Admission from 1:00pm
Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin
Lecture Hall
Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin
Admission is free.
Registration is not required

Lynn Harles (Berlin)
»Towards multispecies engagement: Why we need a more-than-human turn in design and science.«

In collaboration with Dr. Claudia Banz, Lynn Harles co-organized the Multispecies Design Symposium and the Multispecies Design Workshop to discuss the diverse potentials of more-than-human approaches evolving from science and the design discipline and to create a shared platform for interdisciplinary exchange. In the context of her introductory kick-off keynote, she illustrates the potentials involved and the new questions that arise for designers and scientists. Multispecies Design is not postulated here as a new design discipline, but rather formulated as an invitation to view the world from new perspectives. Multispecies Design entails intentionally incorporating non-knowledge and speculation into knowledge transfer processes. Bio: Lynn Harles is a design researcher and PhD candidate working at the intersection of design, natural sciences, and public engagement with science. Since her award-winning Master project, »Design in the Anthropocene,« in 2016, she has been passionate about collaborating with scientists in the field to explore the roles and responsibilities of design for interdisciplinary and participatory ways of knowledge production, against the backdrop of pressing socio-ecological issues such as biodiversity loss or microplastic pollution. For her, design research has the potential to push academic boundaries in rethinking our human-centered understandings of nature, science, and innovation. Currently, she is finalising her PhD at Bauhaus-University in Weimar titled »Rethinking Natural History Museums as Design Research Labs: From extinct species showcases to multispecies engagement.« In her research, she investigates the ambivalent roles of Natural History Museums as symbols of the Anthropocene and Innovation Hubs to create and debate more-than-human futures. As a practical part of her PhD, she is currently initiating speculative Design Labs, such as the »Institute of Multispecies Engagement« and the »Natural History Museum-FuturesLab«. She has gained professional experience while working as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute (CeRRI) and the Natural History Museum in Berlin. She is also a Jury Member of the German Design Graduates Award and the founder of Studio Harles.

Eben Kirksey (University of Oxford, UK)
»Decentred Multispecies Design«

Human centered design research is extending beyond the user-technology interface to engage with issues related to social change and social justice. Now that multispecies justice concerns are transforming the political landscape, it is time to decenter design work – to push past the domain of the human. This talk will survey recent trends in multispecies art and design work, with insights about relational aesthetics and Lacanian analysis. We will depart from the microbiopolical dictum of Joe Dumit: »Never think you know all of the species involved in a decision; never think you speak for all of yourself.«
Bio: Eben Kirksey is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oxford where he teaches Medical Anthropology and Human Ecology. He earned his PhD at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and helped found one of the world’s first Environmental Humanities programs at UNSW Sydney in Australia. In academic circles, Eben Kirksey is perhaps best known for his work in multispecies ethnography – a field that situates contemporary scholarship on animals, microbes, plants, and fungi within deeply rooted traditions of environmental anthropology, continental philosophy, and the sociology of science. Eben has written and edited books about social justice, science, and art: »Freedom in Entangled Worlds« (2012), »Emergent Ecologies« (2015), »The Multispecies Salon« (2014) and »The Mutant Project« (2020). Eben has helped curate a number of exhibits, including »The Multispecies Salon« and »Species of Justice« which is an outgrowth of his most recent edited book, »The Promise of Multispecies Justice«.
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Anja Wegner (Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour & Landhaus Fellow at Rachel Carson Center, Munich)
»Fluid Spaces – Exploring a Fish-Human Relationship through Architecture«

Communicating with non-human animals means deciphering the seemingly unfathomable. Feral animals, who have not co-evolved in human company, never developed to communicate with humans. Delving beneath the water’s surface makes communication even more unlikely, as few only humans venture into the ocean’s depths to engage in conversations with its inhabitants. Through the art-science collaboration with Superflex studio, we established a common ground for ongoing conversations with two damselfish species. The underwater conversations are facilitated through and on physical structures and became a collaborative practice to create architecture with the marine fish. This architectural fish-human dialogue can also be considered a collaborative niche construction, an evolutionary concept during which involved organisms not only modify their physical surroundings but become architects of their own evolution.
Bio: Anja Wegner is a transdisciplinary researcher and marine science educator. She is currently a fellow at the Rachel Carson Center and finishing her PhD in the Behavioural Evolution Lab at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, studying damselfish and their social behaviour on physical structures. Her project at the nexus of ecology, art, and architecture aims at establishing a practice of co-designing with marine fish in collaboration with different artists, including Superflex, Tabita Rezaire and Olaniyi Studio. SCUBA diving, she collects data and makes observations for quantitative behavioural analysis. Combining those findings with the perspectives and approaches from different disciplines, Anja wants to learn more about the fish while creating a non-gestational kinship with the animals she observes. Her approach allows her to reflect on her research and the process itself to contextualise it within a multispecies framework.
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Rasa Weber (Zürich University of the Arts + Matters of Activity, Berlin, Zurich)
»What I talk about when I talk about diving: A designer in the ocean.«

In the face of drastic ecological change, the design discipline has begun to develop immersive and sensitive methods to engage with anthropogenic environments. While the discussion on a multispecies design approach has so far mainly focused on the relationships between humans and other-than-human species in the terrestrial, the marine world has tended to be overlooked in these considerations and often remains tied to the normative myth of »purity«, »untouchedness« and »wilderness«. However, coral reefs in the Anthropocene are facing drastic and potentially irreversible changes. Corals are both an indicator and a measure of impending climate catastrophe. The issues arising from an assessment of current biopolitical measures to conserve and restore coral reefs are the subject of fierce debate between different cultures of knowledge and diverse approaches to conservation policy. This talk explores how the role of design might be able to disentangle the design of artificial, human-made habitats from the normative divide between humans and nature and, through the lens of queer ecologies, establish forms of convivial conservation in intimate contact with coral life and livelihoods.
Bio: Rasa Weber is an experimental designer, researcher & diver between Zürich and Berlin who explores the narrative and process-based potential of materials and environments. Her design concepts are characterized by a strong narrative approach and critical ecological thinking. She regularly teaches at international universities and is currently a research associate and a doctoral candidate at Zürich University of the Arts in the Swiss National Science Fund project »Interfacing the Ocean« and a research associate at Matters of Activity. Cluster of Excellence, Humboldt University of Berlin. She works interdisciplinary in the fields of design, materials research, marine biology and design anthropology. In her practice-based doctoral research »Symbiocean« (supervised by Prof. Dr. Karmen Franinović, ZHdK and Prof. Dr. Karin Harrasser, University of the Arts Linz) she researches on the process of oceanic mineral accretion and its sympoïetic potential for the ecological formation of artificial reefs. At the intersection of marine biology, anthropology, and design, she explores the notion of Sympoïetic Design with human, animal and microbial actors in the ocean. She is one of the founders of They Feed Off Buildings, a design and architecture collective, in collaboration with Luisa Rubisch. As founder of the studio Blond & Bieber, she collaborated with textile designer Essi Glomb on bio-based material and color concepts.
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Christian Reichel (Netzwerk Naturwissen – Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin)
»Trans-local environmental knowledge: Strategies for Strengthening Socio-Ecological Resilience in the biodiversity Crisis.«

Human impact on the environment has reached unprecedented levels. In this era of the Anthropocene, there are few ecosystems that are not influenced by humans, usually in destructive ways. This imprint on our planet can be seen in monocultures, deforestation, pollution and climate change etc. In contrast, studies from Switzerland and Indonesia show how awareness of the interconnectedness of all organisms can promote socio-ecological resilience. In this context, I also present the approach of the Netzwerk Naturwissen at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and discuss what it means to learn from different worldviews and social practices. These collaborations stimulate new social discussions and practices that accelerate the transition from knowledge to action and vice versa.
Bio: Christian Reichel is a research associate at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in the research project Netzwerk Naturwissen. His main areas of focus include human-nature relationships, nature-based approaches in climate protection, social innovations, sustainable resource utilization strategies, and adaptive co-management approaches in the context of unpredictable environmental changes. Using ethnographic and cartographic methods, he has studied social resilience and adaptability in various socio-ecological contexts in Africa, Asia, and Europe. In addition to his research activities, he works as a consultant in international development cooperation and nature conservation. The Netzwerk Naturwissen project is dedicated to addressing urgent challenges in the field of nature and the environment and promotes multi-perspective collaboration. The network functions as a think tank, exploring new forms of knowledge about nature and innovative approaches to dealing with environmental crises.
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Sarah Dorkenwald and Karianne Fogelberg (UnDesignUnit, Munich)
»Neuperlach of the animals — participatory species trail«

What if we were to incorporate the needs of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects into our everyday urban life and take them into account in the planning of buildings, squares, streets and open spaces? How does the city change when wild or free-living animals are considered as city inhabitants? How do we envision the coexistence of humans and animals? How do we want to shape the existing and future coexistence?  In their lecture, UnDesignUnit present their latest format »Neuperlach der Tiere – Partizipativer Artenparcours«, in which the studio draws on current discourses in the sciences (e.g. multispecies ethnography, urban ecology, human geography) as well as contemporary practices in design, architecture, landscape design and urban planning (such as animal-aided design, climate- and species-friendly development) which aim to strengthen the resilience of cities and their inhabitants in the age of climate change and biodiversity crisis and negotiate public space in novel ways. With its participatory-experimental approach and expanded design practice, the format enables a new perception of familiar urban places and sharpens our senses for the needs of animals. With »Neuperlach der Tiere – Partizipativer Artenparcours«, UnDesignUnit contributes to sensitizing a broad public to the question of which forms of urban development are desirable with regard to the coexistence of humans and animals. How can companies, developers and institutional actors contribute their potential for action even more strongly in the future in order to contribute to a futureproof city and benefit new forms of community? And with what measures, big and small, can inhabitants themselves assist in bringing about a favorable environment for human and animals?
Bio: Behind UnDesignUnit are the designer Sarah Dorkenwald and the design theorist Karianne Fogelberg. With their Munich studio, they conceive discursive and participative formats with which they convey complex contemporary issues from multiple perspectives and make them negotiable. They work with methods from design and design theory and test new forms of science communication as a catalyst for sustainable social transformation.  
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Anab Jain (Superflux, London)
»The Raven’s Ark: Stories without human heroes«

Anab’s talk »The Raven’s Ark: Stories without human heros« reroutes anthropocentric narratives to muse on multispecies myth. She will share a series of artworks from Superflux, and invite audiences to reflect on a question raised by Anna L. Tsing: »What if, for a moment, we explored the possibility that our futures were not made through progress in the way we humans understand that term? Would this mean that non-humans could also liberate themselves for progress as the only imaginative framework?« Furthermore, Anab will also be sharing Superflux’s more-than-human manifesto.
Bio: Superflux creates worlds, stories and guiding visions that provoke and inspire us to engage with the precarity of our rapidly changing world.
Founded by Anab Jain and Jon Ardern, the studio has gained critical acclaim for producing work that navigates the entangled wilderness of our technological, political and cultural landscape. Continually exploring the hinterlands of this new normal and surveying the complex forms emerging on the horizon of our near future. Clients and exhibitors include Google, IKEA, and UNDP, La Biennale di Venezia, and MoMA NY. For its fifteen years of contribution to speculative and futures design with a committed social mission, Superflux received the Design Studio of the Year Award in 2021. 
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Juliana Schneider (Zurich) 
»Design for ›More Than Human‹ Futures«

Designing a Change. Emerging trends, phenomena, movements, and design proposals increasingly take into account the complex interconnections of human, nature, and technology, signaling a rethinking and action to break away from the current human-centric narrative in the Anthropocene. The design practice is undoubtedly becoming more aware of non-human needs, and the idea of the »More than Human« approach is gradually permeating all areas of design. Designers are increasingly initiating changes, thereby indicating ways in which we can think, act, and design »More than Human.« The focus of the work »Designing for More than Human Futures – Rethinking design education beyond human-centered realities« revolves around central questions: How do we shape the future of this planet when we no longer place humans at the center? What new perspectives, concepts, and design strategies are required for this? And how can we use design activism to convey these? The presentation explores how new design approaches are uncovered through trend scanning and analysis, opening up »More than Human« future perspectives and already showing signs of the change that will shape our future on this planet. At the same time, it emphasizes that a fundamental rethink in design education is necessary, and our familiar ways of thinking and acting must be reshaped. Finally, the presentation illustrates how theoretical knowledge is translated into practice through various approaches from design activism and climate psychology. The goal is to encourage design students to take active steps and strengthen their sense of self-efficacy.
Bio: Juliana Schneider is a designer, futurist, and community manager. Her focus is on shaping a climate-resilient and desirable future. In her work, she aims to translate theoretical knowledge into practical tools to motivate action and foster a sense of efficacy. Through her research work titled »Designing for More than Human Futures – Rethinking design education beyond human-centered realities,« she examines and explores design beyond an anthropocentric perspective, thus creating a tangible narrative about the paradigm shift between the human and non-human world in the present and the many futures that lie ahead.
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Linnea Våglund and Filips Staņislavskis (Nonhuman Nonsense, Berlin, Riga, Malmö and Dharamshala)
»Nonhuman Nonsense«

Description: TBD
Bio:  Nonhuman Nonsense is a research-driven art and design collective working in the realm of social dreaming and world-making. Their projects engage with the nonhuman: animals, objects, ecology, technology, and the specters between and beyond categories. They see nonsense as an antidote to »common sense« – they embrace paradoxical stories to explore the ethical and metaphysical layers of the concepts that we normally take as reality: such as law, science, mythology, or consciousness. The collective enjoys curiosity, cherish compassion, and recognize that separating the human from the nonhuman is nonsense.
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Maxime Le Calvé (Matters of Activity, Berlin)
»The Forests Within and the Brains Without: Ethnographic conversations with neurosurgery and design at the age of the hyposubject.«

Ethnographic conversations with neurosurgery and design at the age of the hyposubject Modern neurobiology began by sketching visions of the neuronal forest. Through abstraction, these sketches transformed the scenes into clearly defined networks of connections. These graphic innovations had a defining influence on cybernetics. They also shaped our understanding of brains as computers throughout the 20th century. However, these diagrammatic accounts can make researchers and the public alike forget how little we actually know about the ›forests within.‹ The anthropologist Joe Dumit suggests that taking into account the »alien« nature of nervous cells would lead to a different picture of what we understand as the self. (Dumit, 2014.) In my ethnographic fieldwork, I describe how neurosurgeons contend with neuroscientific accounts of the brain. I also explore how design research can intersect with their ways of navigating the neuronal jungle: what can their scientific art teach us about the more-than-human within?
Bio: Maxime Le Calvé is an anthropologist of art and science, currently postdoctoral research associate at the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activities« at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In his latest ethnographic project, he is exploring haptic creativities and cartographic practices in neurosurgery. As visual ethnographer, he is making use of digital drawing as an investigative device. He is also curating virtual reality experiences, which he frames as collaborative art-science inquiries aiming to stretch the senses of anthropologists and of their publics. He trained in general ethnology in Paris Nanterre and holds a PhD in social anthropology and in theatre studies, from EHESS Paris and FU Berlin. He has published on the ethnographic study of atmospheres (Exercices d’ambiances, 2018), on performance art, on music, on Berlin, on brains, and on ethnographic training. He recently translated the book »Théories du design: une introduction« by Claudia Mareis at the Presses du Réel (2023). He is also the co-curator of the exhibitions Field/Works in Lisbon (2020–2021), Stretching Materialities (Berlin, 2021–2022), and currently the participant exhibition Sketching Brains (Charité, Berlin).
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