A collaboration between "Pushing the Boundaries", The ZoNE, nexus_art + science, and gallerie rauminhalt in Vienna.
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Our exhibition "INTANGIBLE" (see also this image gallery) took place between Mar 28 and May 3, 2025. It consisted of a dynamic dialogue between science, philosophy, and art, and invited visitors to think beyond conventional narratives and models of knowledge. The focus was on the question of how life organises itself, and the agency of organisms that springs from such living organization - a new, alternative paradigm that challenges the mechanistic world view of modern science.
‘INTANGIBLE’ - the interdisciplinary examination of organismic agency
The exhibition is an artistic reflection of the research project "Pushing the Boundaries", which is located at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna. Funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF) and led by biologist Johannes Jäger and philosopher Tarja Knuuttila, the project examines the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living.
The exhibition is an artistic reflection of the research project "Pushing the Boundaries", which is located at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna. Funded by the John Templeton Foundation (JTF) and led by biologist Johannes Jäger and philosopher Tarja Knuuttila, the project examines the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living.
The exhibition consists of three parts:
The Ontology of the Undefinable
Contra Wittgenstein: whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must. Otherwise we will never be able to see clearly the limits of our knowledge, especially when it comes to the living.
Beyond the Age of Machines
As the exhibition unfolds through a dynamic dialogue, a book project is emerging from this interdisciplinary debate. Beyond the Age of Machines reflects on and documents these processes. It sheds light on the difference between living beings and artificial systems. It questions the limits of the mechanistic view of the world, and explores how organisms organise themselves and act on their own behalf - an agency that machines fundamentally lack.
Worldmaking
Every living being brings forth a world. Our subjective experiences become reality through our actions. We need to scrutinise how modern science and society deal with this self-determined aspect of reality.
The Ontology of the Undefinable
Contra Wittgenstein: whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must. Otherwise we will never be able to see clearly the limits of our knowledge, especially when it comes to the living.
Beyond the Age of Machines
As the exhibition unfolds through a dynamic dialogue, a book project is emerging from this interdisciplinary debate. Beyond the Age of Machines reflects on and documents these processes. It sheds light on the difference between living beings and artificial systems. It questions the limits of the mechanistic view of the world, and explores how organisms organise themselves and act on their own behalf - an agency that machines fundamentally lack.
Worldmaking
Every living being brings forth a world. Our subjective experiences become reality through our actions. We need to scrutinise how modern science and society deal with this self-determined aspect of reality.
Art, philosophy and science met on an equal footing in this exhibition. Visitors entered a space in which they were guided through dynamic arrangements of displays, videos and installations. Scientific processes were made tangible through artistic methods.
Apart from the opening on March 28, we organised three accompanying events:
• 29 March 2025 | from 14:00 - Walkabout with the artists & scientist: An interactive tour with discussions about the processes behind the works.
• 12 April 2025 | from 14:00 - ‘Philosophers’ Day": A reflection on the philosophical foundations of art and science.
• 26 April 2025 | 17:00 - art∘SALON∘science: The premiere of a new art and science salon with a panel discussion and artistic interventions.
• 29 March 2025 | from 14:00 - Walkabout with the artists & scientist: An interactive tour with discussions about the processes behind the works.
• 12 April 2025 | from 14:00 - ‘Philosophers’ Day": A reflection on the philosophical foundations of art and science.
• 26 April 2025 | 17:00 - art∘SALON∘science: The premiere of a new art and science salon with a panel discussion and artistic interventions.
The ZoNE: Artistic research as an approach to science
The ZoNE - a collective consisting of artists Bronwyn Lace and Marcus Neustetter, biologist and philosopher Johannes Jaeger and curator Başak Şenova - explores the
conceptual space between art, philosophy and science. ‘INTANGIBLE’ presents a snapshot of this elusive process.
The ZoNE - a collective consisting of artists Bronwyn Lace and Marcus Neustetter, biologist and philosopher Johannes Jaeger and curator Başak Şenova - explores the
conceptual space between art, philosophy and science. ‘INTANGIBLE’ presents a snapshot of this elusive process.
nexus_art + science: A new platform for interdisciplinary collaboration
With this exhibition, nexus_art + science, led by Harald Bichler and Georg Strasser, is fulfilling its central role as a mediator and instigator: it sees itself as a platform that connects science and art in order to develop new models of thought and illuminate socially relevant issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.
With this exhibition, nexus_art + science, led by Harald Bichler and Georg Strasser, is fulfilling its central role as a mediator and instigator: it sees itself as a platform that connects science and art in order to develop new models of thought and illuminate socially relevant issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.
"Our aim is not only to bring science and art into dialogue, but also to shape this dialogue in a sustainable way. ‘Intangible’ is a perfect example of how interdisciplinary collaboration can open up new ways of thinking. Together, art and science have the potential to open up a deeper form of knowledge - beyond traditional academic and aesthetic boundaries."
