form Design Podcast

Welcome to our fifth episode from the Driving the Human festival! When we met Brigitte Baptiste, we were kind of intimidated because her CV made such an impact on us. She is a biologist from Colombia. She was the director of the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute for nearly 10 years. She currently serves as the President of the Ean University. She is considered an expert on environmental and biodiversity issues. And she is called an activist by some.We talked with her about what queer ecology is, her coming-out as a transgender person 25 years ago which changed her view on ecology drastically and things that give her hope these days. This might be our favourite episode from the festival, so give it a listen.Hosts: Anton Rahlwes, Nina SieverdingAudio Editing: Tobias Hausdorf

Welcome to our fourth special episode recorded at the Driving the Human festival in Berlin! What is a Tron? Well, in the world of Akwasi Bediako Afrane a Tron has nothing to do with the film of the same title. Rather, it is a “discarded electronic gadget which houses the life essence of the previous owner“. At the Driving the Human Festival, Akwasi presented an installation made out of various scrap electronics, alongside a short documentary that touches on the lifecycle of consumer electronics. We talked to Akwasi about his inspiration (the Matrix series), the fourth Matrix film (and whether he likes it or not) and how hard it is to get an insight into the production and recycling of electronic goods. CreditsHosted by Anton Rahlwes and Nina Sieverding Audio Editing: Tobias Hausdorf

Welcome to our third episode recorded at the Driving the Human festival in Berlin! If you’re living in a city, you’re probably familiar with some kind of urban gardening project – maybe there’s even one in your neighborhood. Artist Vincent Rumahloine and environmental activist Mang Dian are part of the worldwide movement, they also founded an urban gardening project in their home town of Bandung, Indonesia. But what exactly makes the project called Sedekah Benih (“Sharing Seeds”) so unique? First, they’re only harvesting chili plants. Second, they are using traditional Indonesian ways of making music to communicate with the plants. Also, the space has gotten a life on its own: With various activities like cooking competitions (“Who makes the best chili paste?”) it is slowly becoming a safer space for the LGBTQIA community of Bandung. CreditsHosted by Anton Rahlwes and Nina Sieverding Audio Editing: Niklas Münch

Live vom Driving the Human-Festival in Berlin. Mit Romy Kaiser und Paula Nerlichvom Projekt „Human-Bacteria Interfaces“.Alles wäre so viel einfacher, wenn das, was wir Natur nennen, dieselbe Sprache spräche wiewir. Wälder zu roden oder Ozeane zu verpesten würde zur moralischen Mutprobe, wenn Bäume „Ich glaub’, es hackt!” murren oder Wale: „Geht’s noch?” fluchen würden, sobald man ihnen zu Leibe rückte. Daran, dass diese Utopie bald Realität werden kann, tüfteln Anne-Sofie Belling, Bea Delgado Corrales, Romy Kaiser und Paula Nerlich. Der interdisziplinäre Zusammenschluss aus Biologinnen und Designerinnen arbeitet am Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment an Mensch-Bakterien-Interfaces. Noch ist das Projekt spekulativ, aber großes Potenzial hat es: Natürlich geht es nicht darum, einem Myzel Englisch beizubringen. Vielmehr ergründen die Forscherinnen, welche Eigenschaften verschiedene Bakterien bereits mitbringen, die so eingesetzt werden können, dass Mensch und Bakterium miteinander in Interaktion treten. Wie genau das aussehen könnte, erklären Romy und Paula im Interview. CreditsModeration: Anton Rahlwes, Nina SieverdingSchnitt: Niklas Münch