On invitation by prof. Udo Weilacher (München Technical University) and the 16th Weihenstephan Forum. The topic of this years forum and international symposium is Cyborg-Landscapes, The Optimized Nature of Nature.

October 20, 2023, Schafhof – European Art Forum Upper Bavaria (Freising)

In the symposium, current Cyborg-Landscapes will be presented, the opportunities and risks of technical optimization of nature for landscape architecture will be discussed, and the question of what role Cyborg-Landscapes could play in the future will be addressed. At the same time, the exhibition “Artificial Genesis” is taking place in the Schafhof – European Art Forum in Upper Bavaria in Freising, fueling artistic and visionary engagement with the thematic complex described.

Cyborg-Landscapes, hybrids of machine and landscape, are not a new phenomenon either, but they shape the living environment of people today much more than most people realize. Increasing digitization is driving the hybridization processes in landscape. The call for technical optimization of nature and landscape is getting louder, especially in the course of the ever-increasing challenges to environmental development, primarily caused by global climate change. The spectrum of propagated environmental enhancements ranges from largescale geoengineering and the generation of hybrid energy landscapes to the local implantation of artificial trees, smart biotech dust filters with integrated moss modules, for climate adaptation in urban areas.