Art-Science Dialogues
On the occasion of the monumental exhibition METABOLICA by Austrian artist Thomas Feuerstein, TU Wien hosted the art/science event “Circularity, Creativity & Science”, bringing together artists, scientists, and students to explore how artistic practices can inspire and transform scientific thinking.
The event, organized by Assoc. Prof Matthias Steiger examined how art-science interactions can be strategically used by TU Wien to foster creativity, interdisciplinary exchange, and new epistemological perspectives in research. Using METABOLICA as a central case study, the symposium demonstrated how artistic production processes. Drawing on complex systems such as metabolic cycles, protein engineering, and bioprocessing can open up new conceptual and philosophical spaces for natural sciences.
Metabolica Exhibition
The program began with an opening note by Assoc. Prof. Matthias Steiger and Prof. Marco Mihovilovic, followed by an exclusive guided tour of the exhibition METABOLICA at MQ Freiraum, led by Thomas Feuerstein in dialogue with art and media theorist Jens Hauser, and welcomed by Astrid Peterle, Chief Curator at MQ. The exhibition, presented in its entirety for the first time, transforms the MQ Freiraum into a molecular factory where living organisms such as algae and bacteria actively participate in artistic creation.
METABOLICA traces cycles of life, resources, and transformation across five chapters, from algae cultivation and bacterial bioplastic production to 3D printing and biodegradation, making processes of metabolism, circularity, and sustainability tangible through artistic means. Scientific methods become artistic practice, while aesthetic forms become sites of inquiry into ecological, technological, and socio-political futures.
Lectures on the Connection of Science and Art
The symposium continued at TU Wien with opening remarks chaired by Katharina Ehrmann and Assoc. Prof. Matthias Steiger, and greetings from Prof. Marko Mihovilovic. In lectures, Thomas Feuerstein and Jens Hauser reflected on the productive tensions between art and science, emphasizing how artistic approaches can stimulate creative scientific processes, challenge disciplinary boundaries, and generate new forms of knowledge production.
A keynote contribution by TU Wien PhD student Adela Schandl, delivered as part of the Art/Science Summer School “Useful Fictions”, highlighted the role of speculative and narrative methods in scientific research and education.
The event concluded with an informal exchange and reception at the Wellcome Center, offering space for dialogue among participants from diverse disciplinary backgrounds.
By connecting contemporary artistic practice with cutting-edge scientific inquiry, “Circularity, Creativity & Science” showcased how TU Wien can actively benefit from art-science collaborations, using artistic experimentation not only as a mode of communication but as a driver of innovation, reflection, and creative research culture. futures.