From the Cosmos to the Commons – Between Stars and Signals

In ancient times, people used celestial bodies and natural phenomena to navigate the planet. The sky showed the way and at the same time provided a cosmic order that determined life on Earth. Over time, the development of precise astronomical calendars and instruments allowed for the prediction of seasons and geographical positions as well as the systematic recording of the world. This also changed the human relationship to space and time.

Using digital technologies available today, we are able to examine every corner of the planet. Navigation is no longer bound to natural phenomena but to invisible signals, algorithms and data streams. Augmented and virtual reality will change our sense of space even more in the future. Our relationship to time has become more abstract as well. We perceive it less and less as a sequence of past, present and future; instead, we find ourselves in a permanent state of real time.

Between Stars and Signals traces the development of navigation as a reflection of our changing worldview – from a spiritual, intuitive connection to the environment towards conceptions relying on data-driven, technological control. The participating artists have engaged in the topic of movement through space and time along with its philosophical and social implications. Drawing on the starry sky and astrological concepts as well as digital innovations, they artistically enquire into the complex relationships between humans, nature and the universe. The works on display make us think about whether the digital transformation will lead to a deeper cosmic consciousness or whether it will distance us even further from our immediate experience of the world.

The group exhibition is part of From the Cosmos to the Commons, the inaugural project of Hamburg's new City Curator. The programme also includes a recreation of Aby Warburg’s Image Collection on the History of Astrology and Astronomy at the Planetarium Hamburg, curated by Uwe Fleckner, an exhibition of contemporary art at the Stadtpark and Planetarium Hamburg, curated by Joanna Warsza, and a symposium at the Warburg-Haus. Since 2024, the project City Curator has been hosted by the Kunsthaus Hamburg.

Participating artists: Aram Bartholl, Zach Blas, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Charles & Ray Eames, Sasha Litvintseva & Beny Wagner, Timo Nasseri, Norbert Pape & Simon Speiser, Trevor Paglen, Katie Paterson, Marie Pietsch, Agnieszka Polska, Jana Schumacher, Hoda Tawakol

Curated by Anna Nowak

The exhibition Between Stars and Signals is kindly supported by Claussen-Simon-Stiftung.

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