Flyer "Biosphere n+1", graphic design: Matilde Igual Capdevila, Adrijan Karavdic

"Biosphere n+1", Anna-Sophie Santner: "Staging HNR", photo: Solmaz Farhang

"Biosphere n+1", Ana Daldon, Benedict Endler, Matilde Igual Capdevila, Adrijan Karavdic, Gerardo Montes de Oca Valadez: "The green storm", photo: Solmaz Farhang

"Biosphere n+1", Margit Busch, Mathias Kirchner, Bernd Kräftner, Hermine Mitter, Christian Müncher: "Metaphysics of opportunity costs", photo: Solmaz Farhang

Biosphere n+1

Models and Realities: Versions of Sustainability
Exhibition and transdisciplinary Play in 3 Acts
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU),
Foyer of Franz Schwackhöfer Haus, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna

Envisioning a sustainable future of our planet leads to many attempts to integrate scientific disciplines and respective research methods. Biosphere 2 was a living model world with the aim to study the interactions between humans, farming and technology. The ecological experiment was implemented in the 1990s in the Arizona desert and tried to build a closed, independent system that resembled the most important factors of Earth’s ecosystem. Compared to today’s fine-tuned computational models, which are used to understand, simulate and control real-world systems and tackle transformation towards sustainability, the project of Biosphere 2 can serve as a model for an experimental and performative mode of living that dreams of new ways of doing the natural and the social. The cooperation between students of the Art & Science master’s programme and the Doctoral School of Sustainable Development uses Biosphere 2 as a starting point to develop a transdisciplinary play that enacts "biospherian" versions of sustainability.
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Involving: Christian Baumgartner (Naturfreunde International), Konrad Domig (Institute of Food Science, BOKU), Josef Glössl (Vice Rector for Research, BOKU), Katharina Gugerell (University of Groningen), Karl Hogl (Institute of Forest, Environmental and Natural Resource Policy, BOKU), Bernd Kräftner (Art & Science, Angewandte), Rodrigo Lozano (Corporate Sustainability, University Utrecht), Ralo Mayer (Artist), Andreas Muhar (Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning, BOKU), Christian Münchner (ReThink), Marianne Penker (Sustainable Economic Development, BOKU), Kumela Nedessa (BOKU), Christian Pohl (Transdisciplinarity, ETH Zurich), Michael Proschek-Hauptmann (Umweltdachverband), Martin Reinhart (Artist), Werner Schneider (BOKU), Martin Schönhart (BOKU), Patricia Stokowski (Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont), Virgil Widrich (Art & Science, Angewandte), Christoph Winckler (Sustainable Agriculture Systems, BOKU)
Michael Braito, Kerstin Böck, Margit Busch, Ana Daldon, Benedict Endler, Andrea Hermann, Matilde Igual Capdevila, Adrijan Karavdic, Mathias Kirchner, Martina Lang, Tamara Mitrofanenko, Hermine Mitter, Gerardo Montes de Oca Valadez, Kiengkay Ounmany, Anna-Sophie Santner, Katharina Schodl, Peter Walder

Artistic and scientific direction: Bernd Kräftner, Andreas Muhar, Virgil Widrich
Realisation: Brishty Alam, Michael Braito, Christina Czachs, Valerie Deifel, Tamara Mitrofanenko, Peter Walder
Graphic design: Matilde Igual Capdevila, Adrijan Karavdic

Events

23. June 2014

On 23 June 2014 the symposium "Biosphere n+1" is held in cooperation between University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, "Art & Science".