Interfacing, relational mapping and storytelling with river communities of the Spree and panel on their rights as an ecosystem and legal entity

Exhibition
Der Fluss – Interfacing, Relational Mapping and Storytelling
Who is the river? How could we get in touch with the river and its non-human actors in an experimental, non-verbal, playful, sensual and interactive way?

Through research, experimental field studies with their own observation instruments and in performative scenarios, design students at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam investigated new perspectives on the river and its communities. Ten projects tell how river animal hearts beat faster due to environmental stress, how flying seeds are spread along the river by updrafts, how our own senses feel the river atmospheres, how people communicate with water spirits through waves, what pictures the river itself draws, with what voices the reeds and the Spree become audible, how eternally persistent chemicals connect us with the river and how the Spree itself looks back at us humans.

Panel
The Rights of the River as Ecosystem and Legal Entity

In a panel accompanying the exhibition Der Fluss, Christian Wolter / Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Judith Möllhoff / FU Berlin, Department of Politics and Law, Michaela Vieser, author for Nature Writing and Felipe Duarte, musician and storyteller of indigenous knowledge, will discuss the different perspectives of 'The Rights of the River as Ecosystem and Legal Entity', moderated by Ela Kagel (Platform Cooperatives Germany eG).

Contributors
Myriel Milićević und Yin Boribun mit Marlene Derwort, Paulina Deutmeyer, Julian Flörchinger, Benjamin Friese, Anna Gasviani, Kaixin Jin, Merle Kauf, Max Kramer, Anja Linke, Jolina Mumbela, Juliane Müller, Alexander Münch, Lisa-Marie Pfadt, Niklas Schmidt, Julian Scott, Shiming Shen, Ragnar Wilczek – in  Zusammenarbeit mit Susa Pop |Public Art Lab im Rahmen des Future DiverCities Projekts und dem Team des Spreepark Art Spaces.

Follow der Fluss: 

• https://www.instagram.com/der.fluss.fhp
• https://www.publicartlab-berlin.de/projects/future-divercities
• https://www.spreepark-artspace.de

Die Ausstellung und das Panel sind gefördert von dem Europa Möbel-Verbund und dem Creative Europe Programms der Europäischen Union.

“Der Fluss” takes place as part of the Democracy Semester at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Students and lecturers at FHP are shaping the 2024 summer semester together under the motto #Democracy! All members of the university are invited to actively engage with issues of democracy, diversity and openness through courses, events, research projects and workshops. More information about the #Democracy semester!