Symbiotic Wood

In the organizer's words:

The exhibition offers a fascinating journey through the world of wood - a more-than-human material that plays an important role not only for humans, but also for other species.

Climate change and monocultures have made forests susceptible to insects and fungi. Wood that is infested by beetles is considered to be of little economic value. The "Symbiotic Wood" exhibition focuses on this "more-than-human" material. It makes it possible to experience how a material that undermines conventional notions of quality and usefulness can inspire new design solutions. The interdisciplinary exhibition with contributions from artists, designers, architects and cultural historians will be complemented by a series of public events.

Symbiosis as a science

The first part of the exhibition presents the scientific basis of beetle infestation and the associated fungal infestation in spruce forests - both locally in Germany and worldwide. These phenomena are linked to climate change and monoculture: two factors that accelerate the growth of beetle populations in nature. Visitors gain insights into how forest ecosystems react to changing environmental conditions and understand the complex relationships between climate, forestry and forest health.

Symbiosis as culture

The second part focuses on the cultural discourse around "Symbiotic Wood", in which beetles, fungi and environmental factors such as drought are seen as co-shaping actors. In addition to design objects and works of art, evidence of the cultural history and theory of beetle infestation can be seen. Ceramic casts of trees from the museum's surroundings interweave the theme of the exhibition with the immediate environment: what if we were to understand Berlin's trees as part of this symbiosis?

Sensitivity to cultural-aesthetic reorientation is trained in the Kunstgewerbemuseum with its historical collections. The aim there is to see the age of things and works of art and to recognize them in their historicity. We understand the traces of use and age, of care, but also of neglect and decay as valuable "patina". It opens our eyes to the limits of man and the symbiotic relationship with nature. From the collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts, this perspective is embodied by a late medieval griffin figure - an impressive work of art despite its considerable damage from insect infestation.

Symbiosis as creation

The exhibition finally leads into the museum's large inner courtyard. A walk-in open-air installation takes up the theme of harvesting, storing and re-evaluating beetle wood. It shows how a material that has so far been rejected by the industry can be rethought and repurposed. Its material system is based on crate storage techniques that facilitate further drying and future use after the installation has been dismantled. Walking through the architectural structure, visitors can experience gradual differences from less to more infested wood and see and feel different textures up close.

Program of events accompanying the exhibition

The exhibition is accompanied by a discourse program. A closing event invites visitors to take part in the dismantling of the installation in the museum's inner courtyard and take selected parts of the structure home with them. In this way, the installation itself is transformed into a distributed symbiotic network.

Artists

Pelin Asa
Karola Dierichs
Judith Dobler
Tarik Goetzke
Başak Günak
Florent Jouy
Nuri Kang
Rahel Kesselring
Karin Krauthausen
Anna Kubelík
Julia Rhein
Siegfried Saerberg
Robert Stock

The Team

Curator: Karola Dierichs
Curatorial assistance: Jessica Farmer
Coordination and co-curation: Achim Stiegel; Claudia Banz, curation of the series "More-than-Human. Design after the Anthropocene"
Coordination ＿matter Festival 2025: Sophia Gräfe
Production assistance: Julia Blumenthal
Lighting design: Caspar Pichner
Graphic design: Nuri Kang

The special exhibition "Symbiotic Wood" is part of the exhibition series "More than Human" of the Kunstgewerbemuseum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and was developed in cooperation with the Cluster of Excellence "Matters of Activity" of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin as part of the ＿matter Festival 2025.

Price information:

Admission to the Museum of Decorative Arts: €10.00, concessions €5.00; free admission for children and young people up to and including the age of 18.