In collaboration with Julius Metzger
Lichenlounge is conceived as a sustainable, modular and cooperative work of artistic research by different authors that focus on lichen symbiosis in nature. The installation and process are dedicated to the patient waiting for lichenogenic fungi and microalgae to merge. In the dioramic set-up of a lounge, all subjects are invited to feel comfortable in their interspecies community. Approach and observation i.e. by microscopes, wild and cultured myco- and photobionts are present. The space can be entered freely, and most of the exposed naturalia and artifacts can be used and inspected hands-on.
Klaus Fritze is a biologist and a visual artist, and is currently a research assistant at the Faculty of Art and Design, Bauhaus University. He studied biology in Marburg and Heidelberg. He completed his doctorate with Jeff Schell at the MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne. Fritze also completed his postgraduate studies in audiovisual media at the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, with Valie Export and Jürgen Klauke.
Julius Metzger is a visual artist and author based in Cologne. He works with food and drink in the context of contemporary art. Important components of his performances and culinary interventions are narratives, humor, microorganisms and the practice of foraging. In various collaborative constellations, he has realized projects for the Kunstmuseen Krefeld, the Bonner Kunstverein, the Temporary Gallery in Cologne and the Pina Bausch Zentrum Wuppertal, among others.