BIOTOPIA Festival SINNE - Die Welt durch andere Augen

BIOTOPIA Festival about senses, perception and change of perspective took place on October 1 and 2, 2022.

Under the motto "The Power of Perception", an exciting program awaited the festival guests at four locations: Where are the biological origins of musical senses? How do mobile robots perceive their environment? And what do optical illusions reveal about our brain?

BIOTOPIA Festival SENSE 2022 - A great success

Over 7,000 guests saw "The World Through Different Eyes!"
  • Learn, experiment, marvel: Festival gave a foretaste of the emerging BIOTOPIA in Munich-Nymphenburg
  • 105 contributors from science, art and education, 241 participants and more than 50 volunteers


You missed a talk on our SENSE stage?

You will find all video recordings
of our stage program here soon!



     

    On the stage in the Hubertus Hall of Schloss Nymphenburg, scientists from the Max Planck Society, TUM and LMU Munich, among others, gave insights into their current research on the sensory perception of different species. Biologist Anna Vogeler, for example, showed how bats orient themselves.

    Nature filmmaker and author Jackie Higgins took the audience on a journey through little-known corners of the animal kingdom - including the star-nosed mole with its amazing sense of smell - and gave them a glimpse of the potential that unconsciously resides in us humans as well. And the Malaysian-British science journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Ed Yong also took the audience on a journey into the incredible world of animal senses, the subject of his book "An Immense World," and raised awareness of the importance of good science education.

     

    The sound spectrum of Mother Nature - from birdsongs to stridulation sounds of grasshoppers to bioelectrical recordings of fungal webs and plant root systems - was heard during the musical evening program with biologist and musician Dominik Eulberg on Saturday and multi-instrumentalist and composer Cosmo Sheldrake on Sunday.

    The fully booked themed tours for the senses in the Botanical Garden on flowers and their pollinators as well as exotic aromatic and spice plants were also very popular. The numerous hands-on stations in the BIOTOPIA Lab, in the Museum Mensch und Natur and in the castle courtyards were particularly popular: See the world through the eyes of "dichromats" - in yellow and blue. The color design and poster for the festival were also yellow and blue. All in all, an eye-catcher.

    Get lost in the multisensory labyrinth and find yourself again. Create your own scent compositions from aroma molecules and oils. Explore the "scent alphabet" of Helmholtz Zentrum München. Play feel-memory and make a kaleidoscope. See the sensory organs of ticks under the microscope.

    With more than 60 program points at the four locations, young and old alike got their money's worth. And the living chameleon, which provided the motto "Seeing the world through different eyes", was very popular.

    The BIOTOPIA Festival 2022

    SENSE - The Power of Perception

    How does our perception work? Which senses do we have in common with animals, plants or even single-celled organisms? How can we change, expand, improve or even discover new senses for us? During the Corona pandemic, many people experienced first-hand how strongly the loss of taste and smell, or the restriction of human communication affected our lives.

    The BIOTOPIA Festival "SENSE" explores the sensory world in the context of science and society. At the interface of bio- and neuroscience, art and design, the festival brings the world of perception to life in a variety of formats: a diverse stage program, exhibitions, talks, demonstrations and work- stores, hands-on science, live performances as well as exciting hands-on activities invite curious people of all ages to get active, discuss, ask questions and get answers.

    Dive with us into
    the adventure of perception
    and see the world through different eyes!

    Festival Facts

    4 festival venues,
    2 event days,
    over 60 program points and countless sensory experiences... Free entry

    Date:
    1. & 2. October 2022
    All day:
    Stage program 10am-9pm, hands-on program 10am-6pm


    Venues:
    Hubertussaal,
    Schloss Nymphenburg,
    Museum Mensch und Natur,
    Botanischer Garten and
    BIOTOPIA Lab


    Questions about the festival:
    Festival FAQ
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    #BiotopiaSinne


    Stage program

    in the Hubertus Hall, Nymphenburg Palace (1st floor)

    Hands-on program

    on the entire festival grounds: Schloss Nymphenburg, Museum Mensch und Natur, BIOTOPIA Lab and Botanical Garden Munich-Nymphenburg.

    Further information

    Download SENSE - Program (in German)

    Download SENSE - Poster (in German)

    Download SENSE - Social Media Toolkit

    Download Sense - location map (in German)

    Press releases

    Here you can find press information about the festival:

    Speakers, performers, contributors



    Some program highlights were selected by a jury of experts in the course of an open call. We would like to thank the members of the jury:

    Gordon Cheng
    Institute for Cognitive Systems, TUM

    Ophelia Deroy
    Philosophy of Mind, LMU

    Michael John Gorman
    Founding Director BIOTOPIA & Life Sciences in Society, LMU

    Jens Hauser
    Art Curator and Media Studies Scholar

    Andreas Heinecke
    Founder Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH

    Ilona Grunwald Kadow
    Neuronal Control of the Metabolism, TUM


    Partners and Supporters
    • Aktion Mensch
    • Milberg
    • Bayern2
    • BayWa
    • Bezirksaussschuss
    • Bionicum
    • Botanischer Garten
    • Förderkreis BIOTOPIA
    • G.R.A.L.
    • Helmholtz Munich
    • Hipp
    • LBV
    • LMU
    • MPG
    • Merck
    • MMN
    • Rachel Carson Center
    • SNSB
    • United Charity

      • Prof. Dr. Michael John Gorman, Founding Director of BIOTOPIA - Naturkundemuseum Bayern

        We are delighted that this year's BIOTOPIA Festival will give all curious people the opportunity to discuss and experience the fascination of perception – and to do so with exciting partners from science and art. Very recently, the Corona pandemic has shown how much the loss of the sense of smell and physical contact affects our existence. By understanding the rich sensory world of other animals, we can gain new perspectives on human perception, that is the goal of BIOTOPIA´s SENSE festival.
      • Christine Miedl, Director of Corporate Communications and Sustainability Management at Sparda-Bank München eG.

        The BIOTOPIA festival „SINNE 2022“ knows no bounds - neither with its types of events nor in different forms of sensory perception. This year's motto "Seeing the world through different eyes!" is both, an invitation and a social message. In a society, an appreciative coexisting is most valuable for all of us and includes taking on different perspectives on a daily bases. And that is one of the main purposes of our daily work as Germanys first Bank of common good. This is why we're happy to support the BIOTOPIA festival and a weekend filled with sensual impulses with funds from our „Gewinn-Sparverein“.
      • Nina Möllers, Head of BIOTOPIA Lab & Events

        At our BIOTOPIA Festival SENSE there is no "Psst!" or "Caution!" - Here you can touch and participate. Discussing their research directly with scientists, getting active yourself in workshops or experiencing our perception in a whole new way through creative performances - all this creates an exciting, inspiring and enjoyable atmosphere on the festival grounds. I am sure: everyone leaves with a new view of our world!

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