Events

Event | Talk

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Artist Scientist Dialogue
  2. With Helena Nikonole and Alvaro Rodriguez
Thu, 2 July 2026, 7:30 pm (on-site + online)
animal created by AI Close up of speakers on stage talking
Welcome to the next “Artist Scientist Dialogue” in context of the current research project CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS. Artist Helena Nikonole will introduce aspects of her artistic practice, including her projects Acoustic Agriculture and Speculative Species Evolution, and share some ideas behind her collaboration with Alvaro Rodriguez on microbial communities and sound. Dr Alvaro Rodriguez will introduce metagenomics, the technique he has been applying for studying microbial communities, and discuss its possible applications to understand the behaviour of the microbial communities exposed to sound stimuli. During 2025 and 2026, Art Laboratory Berlin is unfolding the new innovative project CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS with an interdisciplinary exchange between art and science in Berlin science laboratories, kindly supported by Lottostiftung Berlin. We are currently receiving strong outcomes in transdisciplinary knowledge transfer, artistic research, art science communication, and some new artworks critically highlighting 21st-century innovations. Join us for the event on-site or online. Read more
Event | Workshop

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Sonic Mind. Sound, Consciousness, and Technology
  2. Workshop with Julius Holtz
Sat, 27 June 2026, 11 am - 6 pm (booked out!)
Welcome to the workshop “Sonic Mind. Sound, Consciousness, and Technology” with sound artist and researcher Julius Holtz, presented within the CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS programme by Art Laboratory Berlin. The workshop examines how emerging technologies and increasing human–machine interrelations transform concepts of identity, consciousness, and community. Positioned at the intersection of sound art, neuroscience, and technological innovation, Holtz presents his research through projects such as Introspective Garden, focusing on the generation of sonic environments via sensor technologies, data sonification, and participatory methodologies. Participants can engage in embodied listening sessions that integrate theoretical reflection with practical experimentation, addressing mindfulness, collective perception, and human-machine interaction. The workshop further investigates the relationships between neural activity and adaptive soundscapes, considering their social, artistic, and ethical implications, and is open to artists, designers, researchers, and other interested participants. Read more
Event | Long Night of Science

Art Laboratory Berlin at Long Night of Science (Berlin Dahlem)

  1. Collaborative Art Science Projects with the Rillig Lab | Ecology of Plants (FU Berlin)
Sat, 6 June 2026, 5 - 10 pm (Berlin Dahlem!)
Art Laboratory Berlin joins the Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2026 (6 June, 5–10 pm) together with the Rillig Lab | Ecology of Plants at the Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 12/14, 14195 Berlin. Founded in 2006, ALB is an award-winning platform at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Our decade-long collaboration with the Rillig Lab has produced various artist residencies, the research group “DIY Hack the Panke”, festivals such as “Matter of Flux” (2023) and “Bodies of Water” (2025), and the ongoing programme “CHRYSALIS. Artists in Labs”. Get a LNDW ticket and join us in Berlin Dahlem — everyone welcome! Read more
Event | Colloquium

IN PROGRESS… | COLLOQUIUM

  1. Research in Art, Science, and Humanities
  2. With Aisen Caro Chacin and Zahra Mokhtari
26 May 2026, 8 pm CET (online only)
close up of a sculpture, circles with metal mesh, yellowish cat to the photograph Trees photographed from below with a green-yellow cast to the photograph
The Colloquium (on 26 May online only) addresses an international interdisciplinary research audience to present and discuss past, present, or future projects by artists and scholars, curators or editors from the fields of art, science, and the humanities. Artist and researcher Dr Aisen Caro Chacin will discuss a performance artwork exploring human dependency on critical care machines and our co-evolution with AI. Physicist Dr Zahra Mokhtar will discuss how groups (ants, cells, or social media users) can form coherent movements or sudden opinion shifts without a central leader. Following the original meaning of colloquium as “speaking together”, we want to provide a platform for exchange and embrace various kinds of work processes which are often not seen or talked about. Read more
Event | Talk

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Artist Scientist Dialogue
  2. With Margherita Pevere and Germán Joosten
Thu, 21 May 2026, 7:30 pm CET (on-site + online)
“Their world-building power lies in holding”: ponds and their ecology is marked by apparent stillness. The small water bodies that constellate the urban territory of Berlin unfold their intricate ecology in an apparent absence of motion, so different from the perpetual flow of rivers or the large tidal motions of lagoons. Drawing from her performance practice, artist and researcher Dr Margherita Pevere places the capacity of ponds to “hold” and transform living and dying matter at the heart of her research in the context of the ongoing research project Chrysalis. Artists in Labs. In the talk Margherita Pevere and her research partner, environmental anthrolopologist Dr Germán Joosten, will present their exchange across art and science, share the results and observations on their recent workshop “Pond Codex: Of Life and Death in Berlin’s Small Water Bodies” (10 May 2026), and bring the audience into the shallow but powerful depths of Berlin small water bodies. Read more
Event | Workshop

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Pond Codex: Of Life and Death in Berlin's Small Water Bodies
  2. Workshop with Margherita Pevere and Germán Joosten
Sun, 10 May 2026, 11:00 - 18:00
a lake or pond surrounded by trees flasks and graduated cylinder son a table people sitting in the background
Margherita Pevere and Germán Joosten invite the audience to join the life cycle of Berlin’s ponds and small lakes. Acting as biodiversity hotspots and regulators of temperature, these small water bodies play a key role in urban ecology. Among their dwellers is Daphnia – commonly known as water flea – a small invertebrate which feeds on phytoplankton (microscopic algae), thus keeping phenomena like algae blooms in check. Its life cycle is fascinating: it reproduces mostly through cloning itself, but when things get rough, it can adapt to the environment, switch to sexual reproduction, and produce eggs that remain dormant in the sediment until better conditions arise. Daphnia can reveal much about the health, history, and possible futures of the small urban water bodies. Through hands-on sessions and speculative storytelling, workshop participants will assume a pond’s more-than-human perspective and explore Berlin as seen by its small aquatic inhabitants. Read more
Event | Meet up, Talk

ART SCIENCE MEET UP

  1. Research Exchange and Get-Together
  2. With Fara Peluso, Jemma Woolmore, and Matthias Rillig
Wed, 29 April 2026
Art Laboratory Berlin and the Rillig Lab host an Art Science Meet Up in Berlin, bringing together artists and scientists interested in interdisciplinary research. The first session, open to the public, features presentations on current projects: Fara Peluso explores DIY bioplastics and community gardening to rethink human–ecological relations; Jemma Woolmore investigates chemical pollution through collaborative and embodied artistic methods; and Matthias Rillig presents research on how ecosystems respond to combined environmental pressures such as climate change, pollution, and land use. The second session invites participating artists and scientists to collaboratively design experimental approaches, discussing methods, concepts, and formats for joint research, followed by group exchange and collective reflection. Read more

Archive

close up of a sculpture, circles with metal mesh, yellowish cat to the photograph Trees photographed from below with a green-yellow cast to the photograph
Event | Colloquium

IN-PROGRESS… | COLLOQUIUM

  1. Research in Art, Science, and Humanities
  2. With Karolina Żyniewicz and Regine Hengge
Tue, 17 March 2026 (online only)

The Colloquium (this time ONLINE only) addresses an international interdisciplinary research audience to present and discuss past, present or future projects by artists, scholars, curators, or editors from the fields of art, science, and the humanities, focusing on the work-in-progress.

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Event | Video documentation

Art Laboratory Berlin 2025

  1. Video Documentation
A Year in Review 2025

A huge thank you to the ALB team, to all the artists, researchers, and contributors, to our open-minded and wonderful public, and to our cooperation partners and colleagues for sharing this year with us. Our ‘YEAR IN REVIEW 2025’ video offers a glimpse of the encounters, experiments, conversations, and collaborations that shaped our year. And heartfelt thanks to the participants of our 2025 programme and to the institutions that supported it!

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animal created by AI
Event | Workshop

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Ideologies in the Machine: Political Bias in Large Language Models
  2. Workshop with Helena Nikonole
Fri, 12 December 2025

Focusing on Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, as well as derivative systems like text-to-image generators, participants will investigate how AI reproduces political bias and ideological framing through language and visual representation. Through experiments with politically charged prompts, participants will analyze how these models interpret ideology, shape discourse, and amplify systemic bias.

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Event | Talk

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Artist Scientist Dialogue
  2. With Julius Holtz and Julia von Thienen
Fri, 28 November 2025, 7 pm

Julia von Thienen is a researcher, educator, and innovator at the intersection of digital engineering and collaborative creativity. Julia’s research in the field of Sonic Thinking and Neuro Design at the Hasso Plattner Institute inspired Julius Holtz’ current artistic investigations into the relationship of sound and Brain Computer Interfaces. In addition, Julius will discuss his artistic research into the interaction among participants, sound environments, the formation of (self-)consciousness, and the creation of spaces that invite active listening.

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Event | Panel Discussion

CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS

  1. Panel Discussion | With Helena Nikonole, Álvaro Rodríguez, Julius Holtz, Ludmila Litvin, Margherita Pevere, Germán Joosten, Regine Rapp, and Christian de Lutz
@ BSW Holzmarkt 25, 8 November 2025, 13-14:30

Join the presentation of our current research project CHRYSALIS. ARTISTS IN LABS at the Berlin Science Week 2025. We will give an insight into Berlin-based artists researching in Berlin science labs – with topics on neuroscience, artificial intelligence, biodiversity, and ecology! Building on Berlin’s unique status as a global centre for arts and sciences, we aim to create new synergies based on topics of current research.

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Event | Festival

BODIES OF WATER

  1. Learning from the River Panke through Art, Science, and Storytelling
  2. Workshops, Walks, Talks, Reading Sessions, Panel Discussions, Performances
21 - 22 June 2025

The festival explores themes around urban waterways, in context of the ongoing series ON WATER | PARCOURS by the Berlin University Alliance (BUA). With the art science collective “DIY Hack the Panke” and scientists from the fields of eco hydrology and medicine, we will explore what forms an urban river takes and what lives in and around the Panke river. There will be events for participants of all ages.

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close up of a sculpture, circles with metal mesh, yellowish cat to the photograph Trees photographed from below with a green-yellow cast to the photograph
Event | Colloquium

IN-PROGRESS… | COLLOQUIUM

  1. Research in Art, Science, and Humanities
  2. With Robertina Šebjanič and Marco Barotti
8 April 2025, online only

The Colloquium (this time ONLINE only) addresses an international interdisciplinary research audience to present and discuss past, present or future projects by artists, scholars, curators, or editors from the fields of art, science, and the humanities, focusing on the work-in-progress.

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Event | Workshop

Politics of AI

  1. Artistic Research
  2. With Helena Nikonole
29 March 2025

WORKSHOP FULLY BOOKED /// The workshop explores how Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, as well as text-to-image AI systems, reproduce biases and embed political ideologies. Participants will experiment with AI-generated responses to politically charged prompts, analyze biases in text-based AI outputs, and examine how these biases extend into AI-generated imagery.

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close up of a sculpture, circles with metal mesh, yellowish cat to the photograph Trees photographed from below with a green-yellow cast to the photograph
Event | Colloquium

IN-PROGRESS… | COLLOQUIUM

  1. Research in Art, Science, and Humanities
  2. With Terike Haapoja
18 February 2025 (online + on-site)

The Colloquium addresses an international interdisciplinary research audience to present and discuss past, present or future projects by artists, scholars, curators or editors from the fields of art, science, and the humanities, focusing on the work-in-progress.

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Event | Talk, Visit

Hacking Networks

  1. Open Studio and Artist Talk
  2. Helena Nikonole | Winter Studio Residency
2 February 2025

Meet the artist in her current winter studio residence at Art Laboratory Berlin. In her talk Helena Nikonole will explore how artistic practices can challenge centralized systems of control through two of her current projects, which she is continuing to develop during her winter residency. One project deals with generative AI systems and political biases; the other project explores decentralized communication networks.

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Event | Residency, Talk, Workshop

Guerilla Wearables | Politics of LLMs

  1. Winter Studio Residency 2025
  2. Helena Nikonole
January - March 2025

Art Laboratory Berlin is pleased to announce that Helena Nikonole has joined ALB’s residency program. Nikonole is a new media artist, independent curator, researcher, and educator whose work explores the intersection of art and technology. Her fields of interest include bio-semiotics, hacktivism, and Artificial Intelligence, a subject she has been exploring since 2016, developing critical and artistic approaches to this rapidly evolving field.

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Event | Meet up

Get-together with Printed Matter

  2. Books and printed matter for sale, some farewells and updates about the program of 2025 and 2026
15 December 2024, 4 - 9 pm

Join us for a Get-together with warm drinks and snacks with some books and printed matter for sale. Let’s come together before the seasonal break and meet on-site at Art Laboratory Berlin for some farewells and some new announcements for the coming years. In our current challenging times, we consider it very meaningful to meet in person, support one another, and express the value of art and culture production.

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Event | Seminar, Workshop

OUT OF BALANCE

  1. Bio-Art Workshop
  2. With Fara Peluso, Helena Nikonole, Karine Bonneval, Regine Rapp, and Christian de Lutz
24 November - 4 December 2024

Invited by Goethe-Institut Saudi-Arabien and Alliance française d’Arabie saoudite/ Embassade francaise ALB curated Riyadh’s first BioArt Laboratory in cooperation with Gharem studio: Three hands-on workshops tought techniques of artistic work with biological organisms and five theoretical seminars units discussed intensely the history, methodologies, and biopolitics of BioArt.

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Event | Panel Discussion

ZOOM IN!

  1. Current Collaborations Between Art, Biology, Music, and Anthropology
  2. Panel Discussion | With Isabel Bredenbröker, Adam Pultz, India Mansour, Sybille Neumeyer, Regine Rapp, and Christian de Lutz
@Berlin Science Week, Holzmarkt 25! 8 November 2024, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Join us at BERLIN SCIENCE WEEK at Holzmarkt 25 (Berlin Mitte) to a diverse panel with cutting edge transdisciplinary research projects on current research topics: From postcolonialism over to postanthropocentrism, they nurture their knowledge production by transgressing discipline borders with a radical openness for nonhuman subjectivities.

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Event | Reading Club

Inspired by…

  1. Reading Club
  2. With Guest Artists Isabel Bredenbröker and Adam Pultz
5 November 2024

Inspired by… is an event series, a hybrid format derived from reading group and artist talk formats. In each session, an invited artist will choose a specific text or excerpt from a book that was inspirational for the artist’s practice and/or a particular project that the artist will introduce.

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