LMU Sustainability Week: The many faces of sustainability

Does art merely add to our mountains of waste? And can books be recycled? These are the kind of questions that art education students addressed in a seminar at LMU’s bookbinding workshop. The result? Works of art crafted from old books. To this end, the students bound pictures, packaging and books obtained from a flea market into new books to which they then added text, glued pictures and decorative artwork. Their works are now being exhibited as part of LMU’s Sustainability Week.

From 9-13 November, visitors are invited to familiarize themselves with the many and varied sustainability issues at LMU and in its orbit. They can also engage in dialogue and networking around these topics. The event organized by the LMU Sustainability Office team and supported by the Munich University Society (MUG), brings together contributions from practically every corner of the university – from the sciences and humanities to the social sciences, medicine and law. Some 60 events – including panel debates, concerts, themed walks and hands-on activities – illustrate the variety of ways in which different disciplines are tackling sustainability topics. In addition, numerous lecturers will be opening their lectures to anyone who is interested during the course of the week.

Online reading with the author of the “Dragon Rider” books

“Sustainability is about far more than mitigating climate change and protecting the environment,” explains LMU Sustainability Officer Professor Ralf Ludwig. “It touches on fundamental issues of how we live together as a society, of economic development, health, education and global justice.” LMU, a large and comprehensive university, addresses a multitude of academic perspectives on these challenges. “But beyond scientific insights, sustainability also needs critical reflection, creativity and concerted action.”

To take just a few examples: During Sustainability Week, bike commuters will get together to discuss routes and the equipment they need – and to share their ideas on how LMU’s infrastructure for cyclists could be improved. At the LMU Department of Statistics, Sebastian Sippel, Junior Professor of Climate Attribution at the Leipzig Institute of Meteorology, will deliver a guest lecture on statistical modeling in climate research. And at the Botanical Gardens in Munich-Nymphenburg, a guided tour of the exhibition “Small roommates, big goals” will take a peek into the interplay between plants, microbes and sustainability.

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Meanwhile, author Cornelia Funke will have a live link to the LMU main building for an online reading. “It’s about the power of storytelling, the importance of hope and the question of how new perspectives for the future can be developed in light of global challenges,” says Dr. Katrin Geneuss, Sustainability Officer for Education at LMU, who will moderate this event together with some of her students. Funke herself will be reading from the anthology “Was wir meinen, wenn wir Hoffnung sagen” (“What we mean when we speak of hope”) and from one of her “Dragon Rider” novels for children and youngsters. “Afterward,” Geneuss continues, “we will talk about how stories give us courage, inspire young people and can deepen our commitment to literature and the protection of the environment.” Funke will also talk about her own love for nature, as well as presenting her foundation “Rim of Heaven”, via which she supports young people as they paint, write and make music, but also as they devote themselves to protecting nature.

Show-concert at the university church

During Sustainability Week, the audiovisual show-concert “The Registers of the Universe” at St. Ludwig University Church will portray the Earth from the perspective of the cosmos. This visually and aurally stunning event combines astronomical research with music and light art, and is designed to resonate emotionally with the audience. Accompanied by telescope images, scientific simulations and organ music of the kind often heard in science fiction films, astrophysicists Jana Steuer and Dr. Tobias Beuchert, both of whom work in science communication, tell the story of the universe. Their narrative extends from the origins of the cosmos through the formation of planets to Earth itself. “There’s a special focus on Earth: We literally turn the telescope around and show how unique – but also how vulnerable – our planet is,” explains Beuchert, who helped develop the format. “In doing so, we want to embed scientific findings in a story that also touches the audience emotionally.” The event is sponsored by the nonprofit network “Astronomers for Planet Earth”.

The works crafted by the art education students will be on display at the Vier-Augen-Galerie, just outside the exit from the Giselastrasse subway station. In a glass cabinet, visitors will find a triangular, bound book showing drawings of birds, fanfold elements with filigree illustrations and books whose pages have been covered over with plant motifs, text fragments and collages. The students’ exhibition vividly demonstrates how much design potential can be found even in what is generally regarded as waste.

For further information and the program visit the LMU Sustainability Week website.