Event
SG - Between Bacteria and Radical Communities
A bacterium and an activist walk into a bar… What did Detmer Sipkema’s bacterial exploration teach us about society in nature? And did the activist communities Kyra Koning spoke about give us new insights about human society?
About Between Bacteria and Radical Communities
This evening we aim to find common ground between the natural and the political. Can this interdisciplinary cross-contamination help us grasp the essence of society?
Join this interactive dialogue and explore the uncharted territories that lie between the bacterial and the radical together with Detmer and Kyra. Can we forge some unforeseen connections between the biological and the political?
About series The Essence of Society: Community and Individuality
We’re all part of it, but what is the essence of society? Is a society an actual community, a deliberate companionship, as is suggested by its etymology? Or is society only a mental concept, leaving the real world with nothing but individuals? What makes a community? And what is the role of the individual? In this series we start our search for the essence of what we call society. We foray into the natural realm, investigate human society, and end with an interactive and interdisciplinary dialogue treading the natural, the political, and the in-between.
About Detmer Sipkema
Detmer Sipkema is Associate Professor Marine Microbial Ecology at Wageningen University, where he also earned his BSc, MSc, and PhD in Bioprocess Engineering. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Berkeley, and at the CEAB-CSIS in Spain. He also worked as a scientist for DSM. His current research and education is driven by the ambition to understand and apply symbiotic interactions between marine microorganisms and their hosts. The interactions in sea sponges fascinate Detmer because of their early appearance in evolution, in sea sponges. And because the deep oceans are the last natural frontier on Earth, little is known about the ecology and evolution of the microorganisms inhabiting these waters. The more applied aspects of Detmer’s research are focused on the discovery of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical purposes, and on the use of microbes for a more sustainable aquaculture practice.
About Kyra Koning
Kyra Koning works as a research engineer at AMS-Institute, which focuses on urban transformations to make cities more livable, resilient, sustainable, and just. She studied Metropolitan Analysis, Design and Engineering at the same institute – an interdisciplinary programme of Wageningen University & Research and Delft University of Technology.
As a climate justice activist Kyra is involved in urban projects envisioning a post-capitalist city, where she focuses on degrowing consumerism and moving towards direct reuse of resources within cities. She is the co-organiser of a free-shop that explores alternative fashion systems through direct action and the reuse of clothing.
