A walk in the park with Peter Fratzl

30.8.26, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

German

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Spider webs resemble architecture – and indeed, they are architecture. The artist Tomás Saraceno explores these delicate structures, places them in new contexts, expands their meaning and makes them tangible for an audience. But it is not only the web itself that is an architectural structure: spider silk, too, consists of a highly complex architecture of protein filaments, which gives the material its extraordinary properties.

On this walk, engineer and physicist Prof. Dr Peter Fratzl will talk about the spider as an engineer. The focus will be on the structure of the silk – invisible to the human eye – and the complex spinning process, as well as the many high-tech tools that spiders carry on their exoskeleton.

The walk is part of the Learning and Engagement programme accompanying the exhibition Tomás Saraceno: Interwoven Worlds. Through interdisciplinary discussions with experts from the natural sciences, scientific and artistic perspectives are brought together. These encounters take the form of guided walks leading from the museum into the urban space – or, in this case, the English Garden. On site, participants can experience first-hand what climate change, resilience to extreme weather and responsibility for nature actually mean. Together, the group will discuss the implications this has for both cultural institutions and civil society actors.

Tickets

Prof. Dr Peter Fratzl is an engineer and physicist. He conducts research at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam within the Department of Biomaterials, which he founded in 2003 and has headed ever since. His research focuses on natural materials such as bone, wood, shells and plant seeds. He investigates how natural materials form and grow, and what underlies their unique properties. This new knowledge is equally significant for regenerative medicine and materials development. Together with colleagues, he has also published work on spiders and spider silk.

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A cooperation between Haus der Kunst and Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.