Water is life, but it can also be destructive. The exhibition ‘On Water. WasserWissen in Berlin’ showcases current research projects on the topic of water by the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), a consortium of Berlin’s leading universities.

During the tour, visitors will gain an overview of the diverse range of water research in Berlin.

What does it sound like when a tree drinks? How are people around the world coping with increasing drought? What does a puddle researcher do? And how do you study water on Mars?

The exhibition ‘On Water’ at the Humboldt Laboratory showcases research projects by Berlin scientists on the topic of water. In a 60-minute tour that takes them from the sea to an artificial iceberg to the stars, children and families learn about the diversity of scientific research on the wet element and the water-related challenges in times of climate crisis.

Jellyfish, whales, penguins and boxfish: many fascinating animals live on, in and under water. Some of them are featured in the science exhibition ‘On Water’. In a creative workshop, children aged 6 and above – accompanied by their parents or another adult – can recreate a selection of aquatic creatures (with the help of instructions) and contribute their own design ideas. Discarded materials from the Humboldt Forum are used. Exciting and funny, but also sustainable animals are created, which can be taken home at the end.

Participation is free of charge and registration is not required.

What does it sound like when a tree drinks? How can water be extracted from the air in extreme drought conditions? And what instruments do water researchers actually use? The exhibition ‘On Water’ presents a wide range of Berlin-based research projects on water.

The 120-minute inclusive audio and tactile tour conveys the exhibition content in a multi-sensory way.

Many scientists in Berlin are conducting research on water. Some researchers are interested in aquatic animals. Some are searching for water in space. Others are investigating how glaciers are melting due to global warming.

The exhibition ‘On Water’ presents a wide range of research projects related to water. The guided tour in simple language provides information on what is being researched and why.

Why do rivers need rights? What was a wave pool swing used for? And why is Lusatia so important for Berlin’s water supply?

The exhibition ‘On Water’ presents a variety of Berlin-based research projects on water. In the 90-minute inclusive tour, the exhibition content is conveyed in German Sign Language (DGS).

What purposes did a „Kunstkammer“ (Chamber of Arts and Curiosities) serve? Do authoritarian populists threaten our democracies? Where does neuroscience stand today? And what are linguists looking for in language? In the new Humboldt Lab series “Meet the scientist”, scientific researchers present their work. Visitors are offered insights into current scientific projects of different disciplines and are welcome to talk to researchers on an eye-to-eye level.

The series takes place in the Humboldt Lab during normal opening hours. Researchers will give short introductions to their projects and are then open to visitors’ questions. Some of them will speak freely, others will work on research installations or talk about specific objects in the exhibition. All visitors of the exhibition “After Nature” are welcome to participate. Admission is free of charge.

weiter Infos

What are scientists researching in the Antarctic? What is it like to live in a research station at -40 degrees outside? And how is the southernmost continent changing in the face of global warming? Visitors of the exhibition After Nature can ask these and other questions to overwinterers at the Neumayer III polar research station.

Look out for the “Call a Scientist” booth in the exhibition and pick up the receiver to enter into a personal video dialogue with the researchers!

The series One Object, Many Questions focuses specifically on a single object – be it an object in an exhibition or an entire room! In a discussion with an expert, exciting topics are explored that may not be dealt with in detail in the exhibition itself. This can be about the production technique or the symbolic meaning, about previous owners or an object biography, about the knowledge stored in the object or its special charisma. By looking at an object from different perspectives, the complexity and contradictory nature of exhibitions becomes clear, as does the dependence of the meaning of an individual object on its context.
The discussion takes place directly in the exhibitions and is open to your questions and observations.

Once a month since 2021, the Humboldt Lab has been hosting artistic freedom to shake up the scientific point of view. Equipped with a microphone and amplifier, two slam poets stroll through the exhibition “After Nature” to recite texts. Between a digitally animated school of fish, a fifteen-metre-wide satellite view of the world and deceptively real-looking, 150-year-old replicas of apples, visitors are taken on a “verballistic flight” through the science exhibition.

The changing artistic duos of the #Logoskop transform the images from the world’s microscopes and periscopes into a poetic show. They offer a deliberately subjective, heretical, humorous look at the exhibits.

If science is queen in the Humboldt Lab, then the #Logoskop is her court jester. With surprise, provocation and anarchic wordplay, the exhibition “After Nature” will be both explored and taken for a ride.

The #Logoskop is curated and moderated by Bas Böttcher, the first German poetry slam champion.

weitere Infos

What does it sound like when a tree drinks? How are people around the world coping with increasing drought? What does a puddle researcher do? And how do you study water on Mars? The exhibition ‘On Water’ at the Humboldt Lab showcases research projects by Berlin scientists on the topic of water. In a 60-minute tour that takes them from the sea to an artificial iceberg to the stars, students learn about the diversity of scientific research on the wet element, water as a medium for migration and mobility, and water-related challenges in times of the climate crisis.

In a workshop, students can explore the challenges facing the River Spree in times of climate change. Why is Berlin at risk of running out of water? What can be done to live more sustainably on and with our waters? After a short introductory tour of the exhibition “On Water”, the pupils slip into the role of social actors themselves and try to represent different positions on water.

Water is life, but it can also be destructive. The exhibition ‘On Water. WasserWissen in Berlin’ showcases current research projects on the topic of water by the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), a consortium of Berlin’s leading universities.

During the tour, visitors will gain an overview of the diverse range of water research in Berlin.