Cross Pollination Field Trip

Jul 8

Berlin - Zurich - Vals - Berlin

Two weeks ago we came back from a little field field trip to Switzerland (slow travels from Berlin to Zurich - highly recommended). Meeting with old and new initiatives, coming back full of inspiration, enthusiasm, courage and hope that we can all do this together - if we do it together.

We would like to introduce you to some initiatives, exhibitions, time & eco visionary people we met along the way - our so called cross pollinators.

Cross Pollinator: Nadine Friedel
Topics: Bridging the dynamic intersection of Science, Art & AI

Kicking off the trip in Zürich we met with a college and good friend Nadine Friedel, an emerging technology expert with her mission to demystify new technologies and make them accessible to everyone.

Her latest project MIKA - the celestral odyssey, is an immersive experience that examines the perception of colour in space, the role of artificial intelligence (AI), and the mysteries of our Universe. A journey of discovery, passion, and wonder, navigating the intricate pathways between art, science, and the heart’s deepest curiosities making astrophysics and astrobiology relatable.

MIKA – THE CELESTIAL ODYSSEY
Images @Kosmonaut.Earth

Cross Pollinator: Tobias Luthe
Topics: Systemic Design, Regeneration, Nature Connection &
Experiential Learning

We went with Prof. (AHO) Dr. Tobias Luthe, on a beautiful “Walk the Talk” along the river Limmat. Most of his professional work focuses on the interaction of nature with humans from a systems perspective, being a sustainability scientist, systemic designer, eco-entrepreneur, mountain guide and photographer.

Tobias is program lead at the Systemic Design Labs (SDL) of ETH Zurich. Systemic Design Labs take place in real-world settings, are experimental hubs or activities with a new type of synergistic science-design-praxis activities between research, design, and practice.

Coming up 01-31.08.2024 - the application period for the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS3) ETH in Regenerative Systems: Systemic Design.

He co-founded the The MonViso Institute, a living systems lab for research, education, entrepreneurship and new living on sustainability transitions and regenerative design. MonViso is placed in the High Po River Valley, at the foot of Monte Viso, right at the Italian border with France.

Cross Pollinator: Renato Soldenhoff
Topics: Futures Thinking, Experienced-based Learning & Improv Theater

We reconnected with creative and digital transformation expert Renato Soldenhoff, Head of Digital Skills & Spaces Program, Project Manager Digital Council at Zurich University of the Arts.

Check out their CAS Crafting Futures starting March 2025.

Sitting in the middle of the Limmat at the Flußbad, talking about Future Modeling, Imagination, Improv Theater, Experiential Learning and “Thinking out of the head” with his company Unternehmen Ohne Namen.
With playful spaces and interactive formats, they invite you to experiment, learn and act. Making change tangible.

Cross Pollinator: Robin Winogrond
Topics: Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Geographical (Re)enchantment, the pheno- menology of space, environmental psychology and activating social space

We dove into a beautiful collaboration brainstorm and exchange with Robin Winogrond, landscape architect and urban designer in Zurich, currently working on a project with Haus der Statistik in Berlin and joining forces in the Regenerative TimeLab. Her projects express the site-specific, poetic potential of residual suburban and urban sites, transforming their inherent identity and contradictions into relative narratives and experiences.

https://robinwinogrond.ch/

A project we particually love, is The Fire Ring. The wooden installation creates a site-specific, recreational infrastructure as a scenography for the unfolding of rich social interactions. Recreational infrastructure is a contemporary issue in which standardized solutions often compete with the very experience of the landscape we chose to visit in the first place.

The XL Fire Ring interprets the traditional American “cowboy campfire” anew. The 10-meter diameter ring is a space of social gathering for both friends and strangers, creating at once a sense of warm intimacy and large-scale community.

Read more about the Fire Ring

Project Data

Landscape Architecture: Robin Winogrond Landscape Architecture. Urban Design., realisation with Studio Vulkan

Location: Riedikon, Uster, Switzerland
Design: 2019-2020
Realisation: 2020
Photography: Das Bild, Daniela Valentini, Robin Winogrond

Cross Pollinator Initiative: AIA, Awareness in Art in Zurich

AIA a very beautiful and likeminded initiative in Zurich, creating a space for regenerative communities to grow and to co-create at the intersection of art, science, and technology.
https://www.weareaia.ch

Their latest “More than Planet” exhibition aimed to contribute to the debate on wether or not to enter the new geological epoch of the Anthropocene, displaying works that show that well beyond life on earth, we inhabit not just one planet, but multiple worlds, both present and future.

“The works on display show that well beyond life on Earth, we inhabit not just one planet, but multiple worlds, both present and future. These worlds remind us that, unlike rocks, we have no time to create other, more sustainable worlds.”

A team of artists and researchers comes together for the exhibition, combining artistic and scientific methods to explore the significance of declaring the new geological epoch and to develop collective approaches to addressing the multiple crises characteristic of the Anthropocene. The exhibition presents interdisciplinary research results, art and science field notes, as well as art installations.

Cross Pollinator Exhibition: Fusignomias, 25.06.24-11.01.25

Robin Winogrond invited us to join the opening of a beautiful exhibition in the rätoromanisch speaking valley Val Lumnezia, curated by Damian Christinger.

In view of the 600th anniversary of Canton Graubunden Casa d'Angel sheds light on the philosophical consideration of political mergers in Val Lumnezia. Questions about mergers, inclusion and exclusion, drawing borders and the dynamics of past and future are raised in an art exhibition from a variety of perspectives.

Robin Winogrond showcases three beautiful works of hers.

Cross Pollinator Initiative: Library for a Happy Future, Zurich & Vals

Damian Christinger invited us for the next day to join a workshop of his very likeminded initiative “Library for a Happy Future” in Vals.

The “Library for a Happy Future” combines science with art and traditional knowledge in order to explore the question of a good life (wellbeing, bienêtre, buen vivir) in a participatory way and to make it visible and tangible through practical actions as a community.

For the summer of 2024, Amöbe will be home to the Library for a Happy Future. The project investigates the idea of a good life through listening, moving, making and learning with each other. The Library for a Happy Future in Vals is a co-creation between Amöbe, Stiftung Science et Cité and The Library for a Happy Future.

In the workshop, participants explored the complex relationship between water and the concept of Buen Vivir (good living) from different perspectives, sharing traditional knowledge and practices to face the challenges of the future and heal open wounds. The crucial role of older generations in defending the environment was highlighted, promoting the need for intergenerational cooperation to address the climate crisis.

This meeting brought together KlimaSenioreninnen association, @hernandochindoyinga , farmers, indigenous leaders, community elders, artists, various associations, art curators, the Natural History Museum of Neuchâtel, and the Colombian Embassy in Switzerland.

Amöbe Artspace
A library, lab and art space located in the village of Vals experimenting with amoebic thinking, feeling and action, utilizing art, curation, design, gatherings, walks, exchange and artistic interventions, as a mean of production. Experiments and explorations in alpine temporality which dance with plants, people, local materials and participatory artistic action to encourage an acceptance of what is.

Thank you Damian Christinger , Jehisson Iván Santacruz, Lisa Lee Benjamin, Hernando Chindoy Chindoy, Cristina Rodriguez and Oda Müller for initiating this beautiful exchange about water & life.

Cross Pollinator 100%: Pure nanture in Canton de Grison & Wallis

The best way to reflect and integrate all these seeds of inspiration is to go hiking in the beautiful Swiss Alps.