Living platform and Installation
In collaboration with Kerstin Ergenzinger, Klaus Fritze, Negin Ehtesabian, Cosmo Schüppel, Outi Wahlroos & Co
An ecosystem, often defined as a dynamic network of interacting biological organisms, remains an abstract concept for many. While ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human activities—such as pollution, dam construction, industrial agriculture, and infrastructure expansion (CEPF 2017, HELCOM 2021)—they also continuously evolve through the interactions of all agents involved, both human and nonhuman.
The Pond is a living platform and installation that interrogates the complex ecological, political, economic, and mental networks that shape ecosystems. These interdependencies range from cellular to planetary, from pristine to degraded environments, and from tightly bounded to porous systems.
A pond serves as a model of a semi-open system. Although defined by the rainwater it collects and gradually releases into the ground or atmosphere, it remains permeable to its surrounding environment. This makes it an ideal site for experimenting with ecosystem dynamics at the interface of water and land. To facilitate this investigation, a rainwater pond was constructed in the student-managed campus garden of Bauhaus University Weimar, in collaboration with environmental scientist Outi Wahlroos.
Rather than isolating the pond with impermeable materials like plastic or glass—which would artificially sever it from its environment—we employed bentonite, a clay-like substance that provides a partial barrier. This material choice allows for a degree of interaction between the pond and its surroundings, supporting a more nuanced and ecologically valid investigation and avoiding the reductionism common in closed-system designs.
The project’s aim is to observe the emergence and evolution of life within the pond. While the original design of the rainwater pond involved populating it with randomly selected plant species, the approach was revised to introduce organisms sourced from nearby natural ponds in Weimar’s Ilm Park—an ecologically coherent and locally adapted source. Water samples from two Ilm Park ponds were transferred into the newly constructed pond in the campus garden. As this occurred in late autumn, little immediate biological activity was expected; rather, the system was designed to develop gradually over winter and into spring, allowing for a natural acclimation and succession process.
This process enables reflection on the homeostatic behavior of ecosystems—how they maintain internal stability despite external fluctuations. We conceive the pond as a semi-closed system that nonetheless remains influenced by broader environmental variables. This concept also serves as a metaphorical critique of binary-based computational models and artificial intelligence systems. Whereas computational logic is built on rigid 0s and 1s, ecosystems embody nonlinear, adaptive, and often unpredictable interactions. As such, the project challenges overly mechanistic interpretations of life and environmental complexity.
The work draws conceptual inspiration from Ross Ashby’s model of homeostasis and Stafford Beer’s experiments in cybernetics—particularly his notion of the “brain pond,” which incorporated biological organisms into computational feedback loops. The rainwater garden pond thus becomes a hybrid interface—both natural and artificial—that invites reflection on cybernetic models and their limitations when applied to living systems.
Beyond its theoretical and scientific foundations, The Pond functions as a living platform for artistic experimentation. It is accessible to students and faculty of the Bauhaus University Weimar as an open-ended resource for research, creation, and exploration. A variety of artistic and cross-disciplinary projects have already emerged, ranging from poetic reflections to microbial investigations—domains still underrepresented in contemporary artistic practice. Noteworthy contributions include works by Kerstin Ergenzinger, Klaus Fritze, Negin Ehtesabian, Cosmo Schüppel, and Mindaugas Gapševičius.
Special thanks to the Chair of Media Environments at Bauhaus University Weimar, to Outi Wahlroos, and to the faculty and students of the Faculty of Art and Design for their support and collaboration.
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