In Praise of Craft I

Flower Fabrication, the first installment in the ongoing series In Praise of Craft, looks at the dying art of artificial flower-making. A reflection in film, this project by Donata Wender can be read as a commentary on art with respect to technique as well as the drive to imitate the products of nature. While dedicating herself to the appreciation of a traditional craft that, in the face of growing mechanization, is declining in social value, the artist directs her gaze to a craft realized by hand and to the materials being worked, inviting us to get a sense of the rhythm of bygone times. This part of Wender’s film project was shot at an artificial flowers manufacture run by Heide and Gerald Steyer in Arnsdorf, a locality in the vicinity of Dresden.

Donata Wenders lives and works in Berlin. Her photographic and audio-visual work has been shown in museums and galleries worldwide.

Commissioned by the Dresden State Art Collections, 180 Ideas for Saxony 2020.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Resurrecting the Sublime

Could we ever again smell flowers driven to extinction by humans? This question motivates Resurrecting the Sublime, an ongoing collaboration between artist Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas, and an interdisciplinary team of researchers and engineers from the biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks. Resurrecting the Sublime makes it possible to experience anew the scent of flowers that have become extinct in the past. Using tiny amounts of DNA extracted from specimens of flowers stored at herbaria, synthetic biology was used to resynthesize gene sequences and reconstruct the flowers’ smells in the lab. The flower species were domestic until the 19th century, for example, in Hawaii, South Africa or the U.S.

Ginsberg’s film documentation of the project, shown as part of the online screening program of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature,” is likewise part of Resurrecting the Sublime, an immersive installation.

Artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg works in the intersection of art, nature and technology. Her artistic and curatorial projects have been exhibited worldwide, winning numerous awards and distinctions.

Courtesy of Christina Agapakis/Ginkgo Bioworks, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Sissel Tolaas. Copyright: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

The air belongs to all

Klaus Staeck has been designing political posters and postcards since the 1960s, with topics spanning a wide range of issues. That of the environment claims an important place among those, as the artist has repeatedly taken a position on the issue of natural and environmental hazards, intervening in the debates around them. A selection of postcards by Staeck from the Kupferstich-Kabinett collection are on view as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”. Staeck’s designs are presented through animated film sequences that vividly bring out the richness of their details. Postcards in the selection include “Die Luft gehört allen“ (1973); “Erstickungstod“ (1974); “222 Jahre Goethe“ (1974); “Es röhrt zum Himmel“ (1974); “Und ewig glüht die Heide“ (1977); “Ruf doch mal an!“ (1977); “Die falsche Richtung“ (1981); “Postkarte: Weltregierung“ (1981); and “Im Mittelpunkt steht immer der Mensch“ (1981).

Klaus Staeck’s art spans graphic design, caricature and poster design. Works by Staeck are found, among others, in the Dresden State Art Collections.

Courtesy of Klaus Staeck. Copyright: VG Bildkunst, Bonn.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Wither

For every leaf you see disappearing, 128 m2 of rainforest is disappearing in the Amazon in Brazil. That is around 5 football fields every minute.

Artist Thijs Biersteker uses scientific data about climate crisis, pollution and deforestation to create sculptures that help us imagine the impact of these important issues.

The work Wither is created by Woven Studio in Amsterdam using factory leftovers, and recyclable materials.

A film documentation of the installation, especially reproduced for the Japanisches Palais in Dresden, is shown as part of the online screening program of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Created by Thijs Biersteker, Sophie de Krom, Bastiaan Kennedy, Tom Bekkers, Bastiaan van Oerle, Jochem Esser, Theo Rekelhof, Cécile Garcia, Lode Dijkers, Quérine van der Weijde.

Courtesy of Woven Studio and Thijs Biersteker.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

In Praise of Craft I

Flower Fabrication, the first installment in the ongoing series In Praise of Craft, looks at the dying art of artificial flower-making. A reflection in film, this project by Donata Wender can be read as a commentary on art with respect to technique as well as the drive to imitate the products of nature. While dedicating herself to the appreciation of a traditional craft that, in the face of growing mechanization, is declining in social value, the artist directs her gaze to a craft realized by hand and to the materials being worked, inviting us to get a sense of the rhythm of bygone times. This part of Wender’s film project was shot at an artificial flowers manufacture run by Heide and Gerald Steyer in Arnsdorf, a locality in the vicinity of Dresden.

Donata Wenders lives and works in Berlin. Her photographic and audio-visual work has been shown in museums and galleries worldwide.

Commissioned by the Dresden State Art Collections, 180 Ideas for Saxony 2020.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Resurrecting the Sublime

Could we ever again smell flowers driven to extinction by humans? This question motivates Resurrecting the Sublime, an ongoing collaboration between artist Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas, and an interdisciplinary team of researchers and engineers from the biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks. Resurrecting the Sublime makes it possible to experience anew the scent of flowers that have become extinct in the past. Using tiny amounts of DNA extracted from specimens of flowers stored at herbaria, synthetic biology was used to resynthesize gene sequences and reconstruct the flowers’ smells in the lab. The flower species were domestic until the 19th century, for example, in Hawaii, South Africa or the U.S.

Ginsberg’s film documentation of the project, shown as part of the online screening program of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature,” is likewise part of Resurrecting the Sublime, an immersive installation.

Artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg works in the intersection of art, nature and technology. Her artistic and curatorial projects have been exhibited worldwide, winning numerous awards and distinctions.

Courtesy of Christina Agapakis/Ginkgo Bioworks, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Sissel Tolaas. Copyright: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

The air belongs to all

Klaus Staeck has been designing political posters and postcards since the 1960s, with topics spanning a wide range of issues. That of the environment claims an important place among those, as the artist has repeatedly taken a position on the issue of natural and environmental hazards, intervening in the debates around them. A selection of postcards by Staeck from the Kupferstich-Kabinett collection are on view as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”. Staeck’s designs are presented through animated film sequences that vividly bring out the richness of their details. Postcards in the selection include “Die Luft gehört allen“ (1973); “Erstickungstod“ (1974); “222 Jahre Goethe“ (1974); “Es röhrt zum Himmel“ (1974); “Und ewig glüht die Heide“ (1977); “Ruf doch mal an!“ (1977); “Die falsche Richtung“ (1981); “Postkarte: Weltregierung“ (1981); and “Im Mittelpunkt steht immer der Mensch“ (1981).

Klaus Staeck’s art spans graphic design, caricature and poster design. Works by Staeck are found, among others, in the Dresden State Art Collections.

Courtesy of Klaus Staeck. Copyright: VG Bildkunst, Bonn.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Wither

For every leaf you see disappearing, 128 m2 of rainforest is disappearing in the Amazon in Brazil. That is around 5 football fields every minute.

Artist Thijs Biersteker uses scientific data about climate crisis, pollution and deforestation to create sculptures that help us imagine the impact of these important issues.

The work Wither is created by Woven Studio in Amsterdam using factory leftovers, and recyclable materials.

A film documentation of the installation, especially reproduced for the Japanisches Palais in Dresden, is shown as part of the online screening program of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.

Created by Thijs Biersteker, Sophie de Krom, Bastiaan Kennedy, Tom Bekkers, Bastiaan van Oerle, Jochem Esser, Theo Rekelhof, Cécile Garcia, Lode Dijkers, Quérine van der Weijde.

Courtesy of Woven Studio and Thijs Biersteker.

Online from November 11 to January 5, 2022, as part of the “Children’s Biennale – Embracing Nature”.