Planet Ultra
A performative audiowalk about bats (2024)
In this walk-in radio play, the participants embark on a journey together with ‘Barbastella’ and their two ‘interspecies coordinators’ on the search for the secret coexistence of bats. A search accompanied by (everyday) science fiction. Almost all bat species living in Thuringia are on the Red List of endangered species and are strictly protected. Some species are currently even threatened with extinction, which is why the project is an artistic reminder to appreciation of biodiversity. In the field of tension between art and science, ‘Planet Ultra’ sensitises people to the hidden and inaudible acoustic ultrasound world of these fascinating animals, which is inaudible to humans and invites us to perceive everyday places from a new perspective.
Idea+Sound+Script: Diana Karle
Performance: Celine Loesche + Georg Kästle
Voice: Henriette Fridoline Schmidt
Technical Support: Tillman Böhnke
Research Support & Information: Rym Nouioua (Bat Researcher & Biologist), Stephan Schauer (Nabu Weimar/Apolda e.V) , Gaetano Fichera (Stiftung FLEDERMAUS)
Technical Concept: Frederike Moorman & Eleftherios Krysalis
Supervision: Jun.-Prof. Kerstin Ergenzinger
Including thoughts and ideas of: Donna Haraway & Timothy Morton
The audiowalk took place in September 2024 in Weimar.
Total Length: 1h 30min
during the walk, the participants passed various habitats of different bats and learnt how big the threats to the habitat of bats are as a cultural species. The audio walk ended at dusk and was followed by a bat watching session. In addition, the concept of nature and culture was scrutinised critically and performatively. Thoughts from posthuman theorists such as Donna Haraway and Timothy Morton were incorporated into the audio walk.
