Schwarm
Schwarm
2016- 2019
How can we can we preserve water as an ecosystem through sustainable use?
Credit: Studio Wischnewski
Research on the formation, movement, and orientation of swarms is still developing – we humans know little about the ways in which fish, birds or insects communicate in swarms to form their fascinatingly synchronous superorganisms. However, climate change, increasing waterways, overfishing, and changes in ocean currents, endanger the natural phenomenon of the swarm. In recent years, strong reductions in the size of fish shoals have been observed.
In 2016 Stefan Wischnewski began to tie transformed weirs into swarms and brought them into changing formations under ever new spatial conditions. For the “Wissenschaftsjahr 2016/17” which was themed around the sea, Schwarm was first displayed at the Fraunhofer Forum, Spree-Palais Berlin. As if to shape a giant organism, fishing gear was linked to shape a seemingly living matter. For the current display at the STATE Studio, convex mirrors are installed to give a perception of motion to the static installation, through different micro- and macro-perspectives.
The "symbiosis of sea, human and environment (surrounding space)" indirectly moves into focus. In addition to the Schwarm installation, one encounters an "anchor" made of permeable sports nets and a fragile umbrella frame that is hardly suitable for "securing" and anchoring. Here a question mark is placed on our relationship and our impact on the marine ecosystem as well.
Artist
The project is realized in cooperation with Fraunhofer Communication Headquarter and is supported by the Fraunhofer-Netzwerk Wissenschaft, Kunst und Design.