anthrotopia etymology, ingrid ruegemer, prof. oliver szasz

About

Anthrotopia merges the term anthro, from the Greek ánthrōpos, meaning human, and -topia, from tópos, meaning place. The name also gestures toward utopia, derived from both ou-topos (no place) and eu-topos (good place). Through its layered etymology, Anthrotopia proposes a conceptual terrain for reimagining the human place in the world – envisioning futures that move beyond existing paradigms. It weaves together disciplines and perspectives to cultivate deeper awareness of our interconnectedness with the planet, with the aim of sparking shifts in behaviour, values, and culture. In this spirit, Anthrotopia opens imaginaries of more-than-human futures.

anthrotopia reader, journal, ingrid ruegemer, prof. oliver szasz

Our Open-Access Journal

The Anthrotopia journal invites perspectives from diverse knowledge cultures: spanning the aesthetic and material intelligence of the arts and crafts; the systemic and process-oriented approaches of design; and the analytical and empirical insights of the sciences. These practices differ in how they engage with the world. Some are embodied and experiential, others theoretical or data-driven – yet all contribute to reimagining how we see, make, and live. Through carefully selected contributions, we investigate the cultural and ecological imagination of futures yet to come. The Anthtotopia journal investigates the ways art, design, and science shape them.

anthrotopia knowledge hub, journal, ingrid ruegemer, prof. oliver szasz

Our Knowledge Hub

This section is designed to inform and inspire. It highlights current exhibitions, conferences, books, and other cultural signals that capture the pulse of today’s debates around ecology, aesthetics, and future-oriented ways of living. Alongside, we feature portraits, projects, and methods that showcase transdisciplinary practices and fresh perspectives. Beyond the in-depth articles of the Anthrotopia journal, the Knowledge Hub offers curated insights, accessible resources, and emerging ideas that extend the dialogue. A place for those who think across disciplines — and open to all who seek new perspectives. Explore the latest posts and discover what’s shaping tomorrow.

anthrotopia founders, ingrid ruegemer, prof. oliver szasz

People behind Anthrotopia

Anthrotopia is curated by its founders, Ingrid Rügemer and Prof. Oliver Szasz, whose complementary expertise shapes the initiative’s overarching vision and voice. Guided by a shared commitment to fostering a culture of regeneration, they steer its editorial direction and select contributions through a transdisciplinary lens. Conceived as a platform for connecting diverse knowledge cultures, Anthrotopia seeks to spark transformative ideas and actions. A board of advisors bringing expertise from the arts, design, and sciences enriches this work, ensuring Anthrotopia remains a vibrant space for creative exploration, critical inquiry, and transdisciplinary exchange.

THE ANTHROTOPIA JOURNAL

The Anthrotopia Journal is an open-access platform devoted to weaving together diverse knowledge cultures and perspectives – from the aesthetic and material intelligence of the arts and crafts, through the systemic and process-oriented approaches of design, to the analytical and empirical insights of the sciences. It offers a space for thoughtful contributions that expand the horizons of imagination, invite reflection on how we see, make, and live, and explore our deep entanglement with the planet and the futures we shape.

Its inaugural issue, “Topographies of Care,” invites readers on a conceptual journey – beginning with sensory engagement, moving through material practice, advancing into speculative imagination, and culminating in ethical reflection.

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anthrotopia reader, journal, ingrid ruegemer, prof. oliver szasz

WELCOME TO OUR KNOWLEDGE HUB

Discover our living archive of perspectives — a continuously evolving resource for emerging futures. Here, we share visionary ideas and concepts, inspiring exhibitions and events, groundbreaking books and papers, innovative methods and tools, as well as pioneering people and practices.

The Hub also includes selected materials from our earlier initiatives at Symbio(s)cene and Culture Sphere Gallery, highlighting projects for which we held primary authorship and conceptual responsibility. These works reflect the roots and evolution of our ongoing exploration into the intersections of the arts, design, and sciences.

FILTER WITH OUR CATEGORIES


More-Than-Human Aesthetics: Venturing Beyond the Bifurcation of Nature; Prof. Oliver Szasz, Anthrotopia

Rethinking Aesthetics Beyond the Human

More-Than-Human Aesthetics: Venturing Beyond the Bifurcation of Nature. The book, edited by Melanie Sehgal and Alex Wilkie, marks a inspiring…

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Transpecies Design: A New Framework for Sustainable and Inclusive Practice, Prof. Oliver Szasz, Anthrotopia

Working with Nature to Shape Tomorrow

Transpecies Design: Design for a Posthumanist World. The book, edited by Adrian Parr Zaretsky and Michael Zaretsky, invites readers to rethink…

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biomaterials, archive, anthrotopia, Ingrid Ruegemer, Prof. Oliver Szasz

Circularity as Design Principle

Biodegradable Material Archives: Tools for Regenerative and Circular Design. In today’s design landscape, selecting materials involves more than…

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Flourish – Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency, by Michael Pawlyn and Sarah Ichioka

Flourish!

Flourish – Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency. In an age defined by ecological precarity and systemic complexity, Flourish – Design…

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Umweltdenken, Rethinking Environment, Rachel Carson Center, Uni Augsburg, anthrotopia

Um(Welt)Denken – International Doctorate Programme

Where Humanities Meet Ecological Transformation. Situated at the intersection of ecological awareness and cultural transformation, the international…

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NON-REPRESENTATIONAL AND MORE-THAN-HUMAN RESEARCH, Phillip Vannini, Prof. Oliver Szasz, Anthrotopia

More-Than-Human Perspectives

Rethinking Data: Toward More Engaged and Creative Research Practices. Phillip Vannini’s book, Non-representational and More-than-human Research –…

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Julia Watson, Lo–TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism

Lo–Tek: Design by Radical Indigenism

Rethinking Technology through Ancestral Intelligence. What if the future of design lay not in smart cities or artificial intelligence, but in…

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Fungi-Art-Science, Vera Meyer, anthrotopia, Ingrid Ruegemer, Prof. Oliver Szasz

Exploring Fungi at the Intersection of Science and Art

Vera Meyer (V. meer): Scientist, Artist & Fungi Visionary. Vera Meyer, also known by her artistic pseudonym V. meer, is a remarkable figure at…

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Glenn Albrecht, Symbiocene, Symbioscene, Prof. Oliver Szasz

Towards the Symbiocene?

Imagining Symbiocentric Futures: International Scholars at the 10th Futurologie Symposium. Oliver Szasz, co-founder of Anthrotopia and former…

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Prof. Oliver Szasz, Symbio(s)cene, symbiocene, Ecological Turn

Towards an Ecological Turn

Online Talk Event: 10 May 2023, 15:00 – 18:00 (CEST). Oliver Szasz, co-founder of Anthrotopia, organized and hosted the panel discussion “Towards…

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Awaré, Sylvia Eustache Rools, Jerome Pereira, Symbiocene, Symbio(s)cene, Culturesphere, Ingrid Ruegemer

Objects of Human-Nature Dialogue.

Material Culture and Transformative Change Ingrid Rügemer, co-founder of Anthrotopia and one of the founding partners of Culturesphere, curated the…

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Prof. Oliver Szasz, Symbio(s)cene, symbiocene, Art-Science Collaboration, Rachel Carson Center

RE-IMAGINE – Presentation at the RCC

Transformative Imaginaries: Rethinking Futures Through Art and Design. As part of the Rachel Carson Center’s esteemed Tuesday Discussion Series,…

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Responsible Fashion, istituto_marangoni, Dr. Kirsten Scott, Symbiocene, Symbioscene

MA Responsible Fashion

A new postgraduate programme starts in autumn 2023 at Istituto Marangoni, London. Why MA Responsible Fashion? It has never been more important for…

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Phytophilia, Sara Martinsen, Kirsten Scott, Symbiocene, Symbio(s)cene, Culturesphere, Ingrid Ruegemer

Phytophilia Design Conversation

Shaping the Future: Regenerative Design and the Role of Material Culture. Designers have always contributed to shaping material culture, which makes…

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Phytophilia, Sara Martinsen, Symbiocene, Symbio(s)cene, Culturesphere, Ingrid Ruegemer

Phytophilia Exhibition

Phytophilia – an exhibition with Danish Designer Sara Martinsen. The exhibition presented sculptural objects by Sara Martinsen alongside her Material…

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Zena Holloway - Rootful, Ingrid Ruegemer, Symbioscene, Symbiocene

Interview: Zena Holloway

Grown from Root – Sustainable, Sculptural, Wearable! Zena Holloway explores the interweaving properties of root systems and crafts unique artefacts,…

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Post-Covid-Cities

Stuart Walker – Designing Sustainability

Designing Sustainability via Progressive Design Praxis by Guest Author Stuart Walker. Introduction Design can be understood as a discipline that…

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Ecological Turn in Design, Stuart Walker, Prof. Oliver, Szasz, Culturesphere, Lora Koycheva, Giovanni Schiuma

Matter Moves Mind – Talk

Material Culture and Transformative Change. The panel discussion “Matter Moves Mind– Towards a New Material Culture” was conceived and hosted by…

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Matter Moves Mind, Curation Ingrid Ruegemer

Matter Moves Mind – Exhibition

Material Culture and Transformative Change. “Matter Moves Mind: Towards a New Material Culture” was curated by Ingrid Rügemer, co-founders of…

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Symbio(s)cene, Mark Wigley, Prof. Oliver Szasz

The Human Insect

People – Nature – Future Talk Series: In this talk Mark Wigley explores the uncanny fact that humans became insects at the end of the 19th century…

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Green Like a Robot

People – Nature – Future Talk Series: In this talk, Dr. Lora Koycheva offers an anthropological perspective on the currently dominant human-centered…

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Aletta Bonn, Oliver Szasz, Ingrid Ruegemer, Tina Heger, Symbioscene, symbiocene

Biodiversity and Wellbeing!

People – Nature – Future Talk Series: In this presentation, Prof. Dr. Aletta Bonn talks about the close link of biodiversity with health and…

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Eyes as big as plates, Riitta Ikonen, Karoline Hjorth, Ingrid Ruegemer, Symbioscene, symbiocene

Talk with Eyes As Big As Plates

Exhibition Walk-Through & Artist Talk This recording features a walk through of the exhibition People – Nature – Future by artist duo Riitta…

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Riitta-Ikonen+Karoline-Hjorth, Symbio(s)cene, symbiocene, Art-Science Collaboration

People, Nature, Future – Art Project

The Making of the “People, Nature, Future” Photo Art Project. The exhibition People, Nature, Future, featuring the Scandinavian artist…

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People - Nature - Future, Riitta Ikonen, Karoline Hjorth, Ingrid Ruegemer, Anthrotopia

People – Nature – Future

From Landscapes to Sculptural Portraits: Artistic Dialogues with Nature. The exhibition People – Nature – Future presented the internationally…

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MA-Regenerative-Design, postgraduate course at CSM, ual, London

MA Regenerative Design

A new postgraduate course starts at Central Saint Martins College, London. Why this course? Course founder Carol Collet and her team believe that…

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Waste Age - The Design Museum

Waste Age – Exhibition

Waste Age – What can design do? – A Visionary Exhibition at the Design Museum. The Design Museum in London hosted Waste Age: What Can Design…

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Phoebe Cummings - Triumph of the Immaterial,Woman's Hour Craft Prize, Victoria & Albert Museum, Symbioscene

Interview: Phoebe Cummings

The beauty of the present moment and the briefness of existence. Ceramic sculptor Phoebe Cummings works mainly with unfired clay. Her intricate and…

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Cosmo Sheldrake, Wake-up calls

Cosmo Sheldrake: Wake-up Calls

Music with and for nature. Multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and producer Cosmo Sheldrake dedicates his album Wake-Up Calls to endangered bird…

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silence, tides

Silence of the Tides

Flowing with the Wadden Sea and reflecting on our bond with nature. Silence of the Tides – a breathtaking documentary by Pieter-Rim de Kroon that…

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Ecolopes, TUM Munich, Vienna University, University of Genoa

Ecolopes

ECOLOPES – Designing Cities for Humans and Nature. The ECOLOPES project is pioneering a new approach to urban architecture by transforming building…

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Bruce Gardner, Dorodango

Connect with Nature: Mud & Mindfulness

Dorodango (Japanese: “mud dumpling”) Hikaru Dorodango are shiny balls of mud, molded by hand, dried, and polished into artifacts of utter…

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Chiquitania-Senckenberg-Symbioscene

Master’s Student Project Senckenberg

M.A. Design Management students from Macromedia University Munich were asked to support Dr. Martin Jansen from Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt with…

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Economy for Common Good, Prof. Oliver Szasz, Macromedia University

Economy for the Common Good

Mini Symposium on Economy for the Common Good. Prof. Oliver Szasz, head of the M.A. Design Management program at Macromedia University Munich, hosted…

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Climate Care

Vienna Biennale for Change

CLIMATE CARE: Reimagining Shared Planetary Futures.  Planet Love – this was the guiding idea behind the MAK Museum’s exhibition CLIMATE CARE, part…

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Patrick M. Lydon, Forest is the Artist, Symbioscene, Symbiocene

Forest is the Artist

What does it mean when we say that “nature” is the artist? To explore this question, American ecological artist, filmmaker and author…

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Envisioning Cities

Step into the future! The development of visions and scenarios is a key driver in shaping what lies ahead. What will our cities look like? How can we…

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ParkCity

National Park Cities?

London became the first National Park City in July 2019. This community-driven movement celebrates and supports the actions of millions of people in…

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Forest Man

Forest Man

One man and his forest. Since 1979, Majuli Islander Jadav Payeng has been planting trees to save his island. To date, he has single-handedly planted…

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Cities, Nature, Poetry

Sprout – The eco-urban poetry journal presents its first issue, dedicated to the theme SPACE. “In inviting new work to reflect…

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Ove-Arup-Foundation

Ove Arup Foundation

Collaboration, Interdisciplinarity and Sustainability. These are the values of the Ove Arup Foundation and the driving forces behind its Catalyst…

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Nesta talks with Ann Pettifor

NESTA TALK: Ann Pettifor

Why Radical Change is Required to Address the Climate Crisis. Why Radical Change Is Required to Address the Climate Crisis Nesta, the renowned…

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Dennis Meadows, Limits To Growth

Dennis Meadows – Limits To Growth

A Study Ahead of Its Time. In 1970, scientist Dennis Meadows and an international team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology…

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Obel Award 2020, Anandaloy

Architecture & The Common Good

Obel – A foundation Recognising and Rewarding Architecture’s Potential to Act as Tangible Agents of Change. The Obel Foundation, established in 2019…

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world-hope-forum, Lidewij Edelkoort, Petra Janssen, Philip Fimmano

World Hope Forum

The World Hope Forum was launched on October 24 in 2020 during Dutch Design Week, during the depth of the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and founded by…

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entangled_life-merlind-sheldrake

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures. Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life has received enthusiastic reviews from the…

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fungi-futures, somerset house, london

Fungi Futures

Movements in Mycelium – From Plastic-Waste-Eating Solutions to Growing Structural Potentials The live-streamed talk, hosted by artist, inventor, and…

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cambio-by-formafantasma

Cambio – Ecology and Design

A re-evaluation of our relationship to trees from a design perspective. Cambio is a long-term design research project by design duo Formafantasma…

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Culturesphere, Seeding Sustainable Futures, Ingrid Ruegemer, Oliver Szasz, Innovation, Tactile Thinking, Co-Creation, Art, Craft

Seeding Sustainable Futures

The power of embodied metaphors. Seeding Sustainable Futures – a project by Culturesphere – explored the potential of individuals to contribute to…

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Emanuele Coccia

Life of Plants by Emanuele Coccia

A philosophical perspective on plants. Emanuele Coccia, Associate Professor in the History of Philosophy at the EHESS in Paris, presents his book…

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