October 1st & 2nd 2022 - Save the date!

A bat can hear sounds that we do not perceive, a mantis shrimp sees ten times as many colors as we do, migratory birds orient themselves thanks to their perception of the earth's magnetic field, and in the world of smell, the Polyphemus moth is far ahead of us. As humans, we experience only a part of the stimuli that the world holds for its inhabitants and a multitude of sensations is unknown to us. What senses do we have in common with animals, plants, or single-celled organisms, and how does our perception differ from theirs? Our senses can also be manipulated and deceived by external and internal influences. How does this work - and can we perhaps even use completely new senses for ourselves?

The BIOTOPIA Festival SENSE 2022 initiates a dialogue at the interface of biology, neuroscience, art, design and culture: With innovative and eye-opening activities that inspire reflection, participation and action.

Every day, we experience the environment through our senses and use them to interact with the animals, plants and other organisms that surround us. But how does it actually work, this smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling? And are there perhaps even more sensory perceptions that we didn't even know about?

SENSE is a multi-sensory experience that challenges and expands our knowledge of the senses. In a wide variety of formats - from lectures and discussions to participatory experiments and demonstrations to concerts and experimental performances - the festival makes sensory perception something that can be experienced across all species.