The Language of Seashells: Artistic-biological Research Beyond Conventions
Single-celled organisms from the Dead Sea, lumpfish from Icelandic waters, king crabs from the Arctic Ocean and now mussels from the North Sea – aquatic organisms repeatedly play a central role in the works of Berlin artist Ulrike Schmitz. Schmitz, who came to Föhr for the first time in January 2025, works in the exciting context of science, biotechnology and biopolitics.
Using organic material, the artist works with photography and moving images to explore how biological processes are perceived, categorised and evaluated in science and society. Her work ‘God’s Spit’ (1), for example, thematises the skin of the fish, which has been understood and used in very different ways: During the Middle Ages, the animal skin was a material and symbol for the transformation from human to animal, it embodied an increase in senses and strength. Today, fish skin, or the collagen it contains, is used to combat the ageing of human skin – it is an ideal of beauty.
Other questions that Schmitz explores in her work are: Is there a universal biological sign system? What role will artificial intelligence play here in the future? What connections exist between human and non-human forms of communication? In her work ‘Chitin Messages’, Schmitz stages a fictional dialogue between human visual signs and those of the king crab in the Arctic Ocean (2,3).
Based on current research findings, the artist uses speculative and fictional strategies to search for hidden communication channels between different species. For example, it is known that some mussels can perceive and react to chemical changes in the water. However, it has not yet been researched whether they also communicate about this.
On the island of Föhr, Schmitz has worked with the native mussel and the invasive Pacific oyster (4). The artist describes her working method as sensitive listening or watching; it is research outside the conventional forms of communication we are familiar with.
We are very excited to see what she has discovered and how this has inspired her artistically!
