The primary focus of the research project "Artifacts beyond Analog and Digital" is the study of an object representing a secretory intestinal cell from the Übersee-Museum Bremen. The project aims to improve both physical and content-related access to the model by developing hybrid formats that allow for location-independent visibility and sensory exploration, while also recontextualizing its history.
Embedded Files
Below you will find background information and experimental online experience formats related to the cell object of the Übersee-Museum Bremen.
These contents are in 2D. If you want to experience some of them in 3D, select the "3D" side view from the menu.
The model of a secretory intestinal cell was developed by the Übersee-Museum Bremen in close collaboration between the museum's in-house preparator Klaus Wechsler and the Cell Biology department at the University of Bremen (under Prof. Dr. Ludger Rensing). It was publicly displayed from 1991 to 2014 as part of the Evolution Exhibition, where it was integrated into a spatial exhibition architecture with illuminated information panels. Three large windows provided different perspectives into the cell's inner workings.
The model was constructed from materials like foam infused with epoxy resin, and it included impressive details, such as approximately 2,000 hand-cast transport vesicles and around 70,000 individually applied glass beads representing ribosomes. An elaborate lighting system was built into the model, allowing it to be lit from within due to the translucent quality of the materials.
Between 2014 and 2017, the model was temporarily stored, and since 2017, it has been on loan from the museum, currently displayed in the hallways of the Institute of Biophysics at the University of Bremen. The cell model remains in an unrestored state, with parts of the original exhibition architecture removed, the information panels no longer included, and the lighting system only partially functional.
The fragmentary 3D model allows you to explore the intricately branched interior of the cell object in greater detail.
Use the 3D photos to get an overview of the model of an intestinal cell.
Immerse yourself in the
intricate structures of the
cell object with the 3D movie.
The 3D-printable sensory sculpture allows you to physically explore the 3D-scanned structures of the original object.
Where to find the cell model?
University of Bremen
Institut für Biophysik
–
Otto-Hahn-Allee 1
28359 Bremen
Gebäude NW1, 4. Obergeschoss
Upcoming
18.09.2024
Lecture
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt - Tagung der Gesellschaft für Präparationstechnik
Interested in having one of our workshops at your school, museum, or university? Want to collaborate with us?
Contact: jmueller@hfk-bremen.de
Curation, Concept, Scientific & Artistic Direction:
Joosten Mueller
Hochschule für Künste Bremen & Universität Groningen
Curation, Concept, Scientific & Artistic Direction:
Joosten Mueller
Hochschule für Künste Bremen & Universität Groningen
Visual Concept Graphic:
Dalila Maganinho
Scientific Supervision:
Prof. Dr. Manfred Radmacher
Universität Bremen
Educational Supervision:
Paul Engelschalt &
Prof. Dr. Annette Upmeier zu Belzen
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Artifacts Beyond Analog and Digital
Development of a Hybrid Experimental Space and Recontextualization of a Historical Cell Model through Digital Technologies to Establish a Collaboration between Natural Sciences and Design
Physical models are vital “objects of knowledge” tied to their display/storage locations, material condition, and the relevance of conveyed knowledge. Changes to these factors can lead to gradual or complete loss, fading, or destruction of models.
The research project “Artifacts Beyond Analog and Digital” focuses on reconstructing the journey of a specific model—an intestinal cell from Übersee-Museum Bremen (1991). It aims to make the model accessible by contextualizing it in contemporary knowledge and exploring innovative, location-independent formats.
Funded by the University of the Arts Bremen and the Bremen Fund "Society and Individual in the Digital Transformation."
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