May to October 2022

“Forests of antennas, oceans of waves“ is a series of events, curated by Shintaro Miyazaki (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Birgit Schneider (University of Potsdam) & Daniela Silvestrin, which inquires effects of new media and communication technologies on urban space(s), our bodies and society, taking place in Berlin from May to October 2022, consisting of seven artistic interventions in urban space by artists and researchers including bureau d’études, Kate Donovan, Solarpunks, Sarah Grant & Danja Vasiliev, Nicholas Nova, Selena Savic and Teresa Dillon, a conference and sound performance in cooperation with the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin with Teresa Dillon, Ignacio Farías, Jennifer Gabrys, Susanna Hertrich, Gabriele Schliwa, Rahul Mukherjee und Nona Schulte-Römer • Sound-Installation »BIAS« by Mario de Vega.

A final exhibition and sound performance is happening in the project space Liebig12 with the artists Susanna Hertrich and Jonathon Keats from 30. September until 9. October including an artist talk at @Jugend(wiederstands)museum/Galilaäkirche on the 06.10 at 6pm. 

Exhibition
“Un/apparent sensory perception. Disorientations of a more-than-human sensory apparatus”
Susanna Hertrich, Jonathon Keats

30 September – 9 October 
Liebig12, Liebigstraße 12 / Berlin-Friedrichshain
Opening • 30 September • 18:00
Exhibition • 1-9 October, 14:00-20:00
Artist Talk • 6 October • 18:00 • Galiläa-Kirche_Rigaerstr.9/10 • Registration: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/artist-talk-susanna-hertrich-jonathon-keats-tickets-418812037077

Light and radio waves can be disorienting for birds and insects like butterflies, especially in cities. Also some other species, such as the elephant-nosed fish, have sensory organs sensitive to electric and electromagnetic fields, making them capable of electrolocation. Using the animal kingdom as well as mythologies of electromagnetic phenomena as a starting points of reflection and speculation, the final exhibition of the event series Forests of Antennas, Oceans of Waves focuses on the artistic examination of both human and non-human sensory perception of electromagnetic radiation. The works presented in the exhibition use speculative approaches and thought experiments as starting points for their exploration of sensory relationships with anthropogenic signal-based invisible environments: To ensure that birds and butterflies arrive at the right place at the right time, and don’t get lost along the way, Jonathon Keats designs technologies to provide flocks and swarms with on-the-fly guidance directed by advance reconnaissance. Inspired by ideas of cybernetic systems theory, Susanna Hertrich explores the both mythologies and limits of human sensory perception through the notions of the ether and aesthetics of antennas as gateways to higher spheres.
The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on potentials and limits of bodily and sensory perception, and about how non-anthropogenic technological environments could look like. On 6 October at 18:00, both artists will present their work and approaches and engage in conversation with the audience.

::The thematic starting point of the project is the artistic and theoretical examination of phenomena of electromagnetic waves, motivated by discussions around the new mobile phone generation “5G”, which is in the testing or expansion phase in Berlin and other German and international cities and is thus also discussed in the context of “smart city” technologies and initiatives.
Imperceptible changes brought about by the various generations of mobile communications and subsequent “smart city” technologies will be tangible and discussable in artistic terms: Physical, social, legal, (urban) political, biological and ecological aspects of the “Hertzian” space will be illuminated in workshops, interactive walks, lecture-performances, sound-performances, installative presentations as well as discussion formats.