Single Review on past events

The idea to develop a new lecture format was both driven by a specific research question as well as intrinsically motivated: as a theatre scholar, Julia Boll is interested in determining whether it is possible to make an argument for the theatre as an 'enacted thought experiment'. "As Fellows of the Zukunftskolleg, we are curious to find out what is actually possible if we enter a stage environment and try to cover the same ground from two different angles, bringing actors and dancers into the mix. In this way, the interdisciplinary lecture project also constitutes a possible format for showcasing the Zukunftskolleg's breadth and its capacity to enable Fellows to try out ideas and experiment with new and unusual concepts", explains Julia Boll.

There are several elements specific to this lecture format marking it as innovative: the space of the theatre as a space for experimentation, the dialogue and the interaction between the two academics from the different disciplines, and the scripted yet unpredictable element of introducing to the lecture theatre actors and dancers portraying the respective objects of scientific enquiry. The format of the lecture thus reflected the subjects these lectures explored: the nature of the experiment, the questions of evidence and predictability, knowledge and control.

For the Fellows involved, this course offered an opportunity to test new pathways in teaching and to explore educational collaboration in a fresh, more direct way. It also reflected how an active turn towards trans-disciplinarity could significantly strengthen the communication of knowledge in face of recent developments in higher education practices.

By inviting the lecture audience to understand themselves as part of the experiment, they were enabled to reach a stage of creative transfer of knowledge that has been called 'deep learning'.

The lecture series consisted of four lectures. Lecture 1 with Julia Boll and chemist Thomas Böttcher entitled "Is That Your Microbiome Trying to Take Over?". In this lecture, the meta-level of experimental thought was studied by investigating what would happen if we could observe our own microorganisms staging a hostile takeover against us.

Lecture 2 with Julia Boll and biologist Andreas Thum entitled "Rewriting the Experimental Script". In this lecture, the nature of the scientific experiment was discussed, and how a willful larva's deviation from the script could lead to interesting questions about the predictability and reliability of a standard experiment.

Lecture 3 with Julia Boll and physicist Gianluca Rastelli entitled "Schroedinger's Stage". In this lecture, the two Fellows tried to convince each other of the observability or non-observability of quantum space by exploring whether the theatre allows for a person to be dead and alive at the same time.

Lecture 4 with Julia Boll and biologist Giovanni Galizia entitled "The Dancing Bee". In this lecture, the audience could see if it is possible to replicate the bees' dance language with actual dancers, and whether this changes the message to be communicated by dance. All lectures were recorded and can be seen here (only via download link available on iOS devices):

https://streaming.uni-konstanz.de/talks-events/zukunftskolleg/performance-lecture/