Der begrünte Vorplatz des Museums für Naturkunde Berlin im Sommer mit blühenden Pflanzenbeeten vor der historischen Hauptfassade des Gebäudes.

Programme

Pollinator Pathmaker

A living work of art for pollinators

Pollinator Pathmaker is a living work of art by the artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, situated on the museum forecourt. It is designed not for the human eye, but for pollinating insects. It invites us to view the world from the perspective of pollinators, whilst also offering an opportunity to contribute to their protection.

The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin supported the LAS Art Foundation in realising the first international edition of Pollinator Pathmaker in Berlin and adapting it to the city's climatic conditions. The LAS edition was created in spring 2023 and opened in June 2023. It is the third garden in the Pollinator Pathmaker series.

The basis for Ginsberg's pollinator-friendly garden artworks is a specially developed, algorithm-based planting programme, which is freely accessible on the website pollinator.art. The algorithm uses a list of locally suitable plants, which was compiled with our help and in collaboration with experts.

The planting programme generates planting plans that support as many pollinator species as possible. Anyone interested can plant their own small version of the artwork at home and thus play an active part in supporting pollinators.

 

About the artist

In her practice, Dr Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg explores the fraught relationship between humans, nature and technology. Through artworks, texts and curatorial projects, she explores various themes such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, nature conservation, biodiversity and evolution. In doing so, Ginsberg examines the human impulse to constantly seek to improve the world.

 

Porträt von Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg im Freien vor grünem Hintergrund. Sie trägt eine helle Bluse mit floralem Muster und blickt lächelnd zur Seite.
Porträt von Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
Photo: Nathalie Théry

It's all about the mix

Wildflower areas are becoming increasingly popular in gardens and on balconies. However, not every seed mix supports native pollinators equally. Many ornamental plants produce hardly any pollen or nectar and therefore offer insects very little food.

The key is selecting suitable plant species. Native wild plants, which are adapted to regional conditions, are particularly valuable. Early-flowering species provide important food sources as early as spring. Variations in plant height, patches of bare ground or wild areas offer additional shelter and refuge. Even small areas can thus become valuable habitats for pollinating insects.

 

Pollinating insects

The population of pollinating insects has declined dramatically over the last 40 years. The main reasons for this are habitat loss, environmental toxins such as pesticides, and climate change. Whilst the media often mistakenly focus on the decline of honeybees, many hundreds of species of wild bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other groups are particularly affected by insect decline. As an essential part of our ecosystem, these insects pollinate many of our crops and also help to preserve and promote the great diversity of plants in our gardens and natural landscapes.

To counteract this loss, cities around the world are developing strategies to conserve biodiversity and support pollinator populations. The creation of urban habitats featuring a wide variety of insect-friendly wildflowers is often a key focus, as these provide food, nesting sites and places of refuge. Projects such as Pollinator Pathmaker thus demonstrate how urban spaces can become habitats for pollinators.

 

Green forecourt in front of the façade of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin on a sunny day.
Begrünter Vorplatz mit Hauptfassade des Museums für Naturkunde
Photo: D J Lagana

Collaboration with LAS

We are fascinated by the unknown. Together with the LAS art platform, we aim to pioneer new forms of science communication and explore alternative approaches to public engagement. Part of our collaboration involves making scientific findings accessible by focusing on the intersection between science and human experience.

The Anthropocene, a new epoch shaped by humankind, calls above all for synergistic, interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. We aim to foster a new culture of knowledge and learning through a stimulating dialogue between two distinct forms of critical thinking: that of art and that of science.

 

Partners

LAS Art Foundation

Pollinator Pathmaker, LAS Edition, 2023
Plant Palette Continental Region
Commissioned by the Eden Project and LAS
Realised in collaboration with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Originally commissioned by the Eden Project, funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation; with additional support from the Gaia Art Foundation and in cooperation with Google Arts & Culture.