🎙 Guest: Dr. Claudia Schnugg, Curator of the Universe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale & Art-Science Visionary
The Cosmic Scoop:
What if art could transform how we design habitats beyond Earth—and inspire new ways to live here at home? Dr. Claudia Schnugg is making this vision a reality. As curator of the groundbreaking Universe Pavilion at the prestigious 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, she merges indigenous wisdom, aesthetic dialogue, and rigorous science to reshape how we think about shelter, community, and our cosmic future.
In this episode, Claudia guides us from pioneering Austrian yeast experiments in circular life support systems to ancient Aboriginal star maps navigating by dark patches in the Milky Way.
Quotable Insights:
💡 “Experience can reveal what expertise alone can’t. That’s where artists make the invisible visible.”
💡 “To shelter in space isn’t just about engineering—it’s about redefining what it means to be at home.”
💡 “Bringing artists into science labs isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity for asking better questions.”
Cosmic Timestamps:
⏳ [00:01:15] What is the Universe Pavilion? Art in the heart of the Venice Biennale
⏳ [00:03:00] Challenging the nation-state model in architecture through cosmic discourse
⏳ [00:06:00] A new renaissance? Why space and AI demand new aesthetic reflection
⏳ [00:09:15] STEAM over STEM: Claudia makes the case for creative collaboration
⏳ [00:16:10] Artists asking naive questions—and pushing science to unexpected breakthroughs
⏳ [00:24:00] Yeast, sourdough & space: An artistic experiment leads to biotech insights
⏳ [00:29:30] Life support systems as metaphor and method
⏳ [00:43:50] Indigenous sky knowledge and sheltering beyond architecture
⏳ [00:50:30] Symbiosis vs. exploitation: What culture are we exporting to space?
⏳ [01:00:40] The Venus Conversation: A 10-year art-science journey across missions
⏳ [01:03:10] Claudia’s music pick: “Dressed for Space” by Trouble Andrew
⏳ [01:04:32] Espresso for the Mind: Ted Chiang’s “The Great Silence”
To Explore:
- 🔗 Venice Biennale – Architecture 2025
- 🔗 ESA Arts Initiatives
- 🔗 Claudia Schnugg's Research & Projects
- 🔗 Ted Chiang – “The Great Silence”
- 🔗 Dressed for Space – Trouble Andrew (Spotify)
📩 Subscribe to the Space Café Podcast Substack
🔗 Connect with Markus on LinkedIn
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