The concept and design for the artwork were created by our student Mildred Maaß, who is studying Communication Design and Media. With WABERT, she offers a unique artistic perspective on the otherwise often invisible, highly complex world of microorganisms and their significance in biotechnological processes. The artwork allows visitors to experience microbial structures, interactions and dynamics through the senses, thereby combining design, science and process engineering in a vivid way.
The idea originated as early as the beginning of 2025 as part of the MikroMesoMakro project, a joint initiative by Professor Tom Hanke (Dipl.-Des.) from the Faculty of Architecture and Design and Dr Falk Hillmann (Dr rer. nat.) from the Faculty of Engineering. At that time, five different concepts and prototypes were developed. WABERT was further developed for its concrete implementation in the Malchow Show Garden, where it has now found its home. There – amidst the plants – it adds an artistic perspective to the exploration of biological and technical processes.
Kevin Bläsing, Luca Lass and Kathleen Hoffmann provided organisational and practical support during the on-site installation. The new artwork was duly unveiled in the presence of numerous staff members from our UAS.
Hint: The German word ‘wabern’ roughly means to move in an unpredictable manner