AUSTERTRAUM

BERLIN, GERMANY

Art and Sustainability Project Presented @ House of Cultures of the World

AUGUST 17 - AUGUST 21, 2011

ARTISTS: STEFFAN SAFER, BIRGIT SCHNEIDER

AusterTraum started as a research project at the House of Cultures of the World, Berlin within the larger framework of an exhibition called Ueberlebenskunst. Together with cultural scientist Birgit Schneider, artist Stefan Saffer started to look at questions of sustainability in art and culture. Interviews with geologists, ethnologists, and cultural scientists were conducted. We worked with staff members of the House of Cultures to learn more about sustainability in art. In our research, we came across the “oyster” as a symbol of survival. We learned that the term "ecology" was first created by a biologist who studied oyster banks. This led us to an oyster scientist in the North Sea who showed us oyster banks with Pacific Oyster growing. This growth was only possible due to global warming, which caused a warmer water temperature. The oysters and our visit to the North Sea were the inspiration for a small book that was ultimately presented at the Compendium of Thoughts for The Future. The book can be purchased at Lost Books, but it’s only available in the German language.