"Theatrum Radix – Virtual Natural Order Between Art and Science"  explored the virtual natural order between art and science, questioning whether there is a natural “order of things.” To answer this, humanity has created a vast array of visual systems designed to offer orientation and security. The virtual reality installation, conceived by artist Marlene Bart, encouraged a critical examination of this sense of security in the context of the limitations of visual and spatial perception.

​

Bart transformed the auditorium of the historic Anatomy Theatre into a walk-in encyclopaedia, where glass and plastic objects crafted by the artist, natural history collection specimens, and their virtual counterparts coexisted, forming new combinations. 

This intervention allowed visitors to explore the architecture of the theatre while immersing themselves in a new, surreal world and natural order. The shifts in perspective dissolved the linearity of the encyclopaedic book and the rigid structure of theatre architecture. At the same time, Bart created a new architecture of knowledge in which the hierarchy and metaphors of the world were reconsidered. Consequently, the hierarchical concept of early modern and modern Western biological systems—where humanity was traditionally placed at the pinnacle of “creation”—was re-examined. Bart sought to question anthropocentric ways of thinking, generating new models of knowledge that could help address societal challenges, such as the decline of biodiversity. Moreover, Bart’s alternative approach to the objects themselves prompted critical reflections on their provenance, potential colonial origins, preservation, and presentation.

​

This project was supported through a collaboration between the Tieranatomisches Theater and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which was at the time undertaking extensive digitisation projects to document and electronically archive its entire collection. Such a process opened up further opportunities for critical dialogue between the visual arts and natural history, both in the physical and digital realms.

​

Artistic director: Marlene Bart

Curator: Felix Sattler (Tieranatomisches Theater)

Co-curator: Katharina Otto (Bauhaus University Weimar)

Project management: Antonia Willisch (Tieranatomisches Theater)

Artistic assistance: Katja Andrea Hock

Partners: Ikonospace (founder Joris Demnard and 3D designer Manuel Farre), Daniel Benyamin (composer),

INVR.SPACE GmbH, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the Mediasphere For Nature, Tieranatomisches Theater.