science + fiction

The Volkswagen Foundation and ZKM have invited artists and scientists to work together on topics currently at the center of research. The result is an exhibition, science + fiction – between nanoworld and global culture, an entirely new format that transcends the bounds of the conventional presentation of science, focusing not only on the cultural and social prerequisites for knowledge today but also on the scientific basis of the world we live in – a modern chamber of marvels in the age of globalization. What the science + fiction exhibition is attempting to do is to achieve a balance between art, the presentation of science and a reflection upon different the forms of knowledge that the exhibition is consciously in search of.

The artists invited to collaborate with scientists, many of them sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation, were: the Munich-based group of artists M+M, Ars-Viva prizewinner Christoph Keller, Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout, artist duo Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau and Berlin-based artists Dellbrügge & de Moll. The topics addressed by these artists are: science and the world we live in, brain research, nanotechnology, globalization and »foreign« and »own«, along with the future of the information society. How do the artists see the current state of knowledge and progress in the sciences?

The artists' work will be flanked by a background installation combining scientific with artistic images and guiding visitors through the various topics. Here, the associations conjured up by the artists are complemented with original academic soundtracks, objets trouvés from laboratories and historical reminiscences. Works by Ingo Günther, Peter Kogler, Max Bill, Ken Lum and other artists are also on view.