Layer by layer

To mark the artistic intervention "Rare Earths – 17 Fragments" by Philine Rinnert, the Naturwissen network invites you to a panel discussion entitled "Layer by Layer: Rare Earths at the Crossroads of the Energy Transition, Trade, Visibility and Accessibility" on 5 May at 6:30 pm. 

The focus of the evening will be on rare earths as key resources of our time: from their historical significance to their central role in current technological developments and future transformation processes. The discussion will cover their relevance to the energy transition and digitalisation, as well as the associated challenges: sustainable mining, recycling strategies, resource justice, global supply chains and geopolitical dependencies. The ecological and social consequences of raw material extraction will also be examined.

Furthermore, the discussion will focus on questions of visibility and invisibility: What material foundations underpin our digital and energy infrastructures – and why do they often remain invisible in everyday life? How are these resources negotiated socially, politically and economically? And what role can museums and cultural institutions play in making such hidden connections visible and opening them up for discussion?

The panel discussion is conceived as an open, multi-perspective forum that brings together diverse experiences and perspectives from academia, business, politics, journalism, the arts and museum practice

Stephanie Rohde (Deutschlandfunk) will host the evening. The panellists are:  

• Simone Ehrenberg-Silies (Institute for Innovation and Technology) 
• Ursula Klein (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science) 
• Franziska Lederer (Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf, BioKollekt research group) 
• Andreas Pietsch (Noble Elements) 
• Sebastian Tappe (Freiberg University of Technology, Chair of Ore Deposits & Petrology)

Following the panel discussion, the artistic intervention will be unveiled.