Team and contact

The Research Institute of Botanical Linguistics (RIBL) aims to attune itself and others to the dynamism of the other-than-human world and foster ways of coexistence through multispecies encounters.

RIBL was founded in the framework of Hackers & Designers Summer Academy in 2017. RIBL is a design and research collaboration between designer Lucia Kolesárová from Prague, designer and researcher Meike Hardt based in Rotterdam and designer Marius Förster based in Cologne. RIBL's goal is to question human-centered knowledge production in relation to design practice.

Thinking of design practices as integrally part of world-making and establishing normalization processes, we believe a pluralistic perspective is necessary. Therefore the institute's basic intention is to shift human perspectives and to get connected with, to think with and to use botanical systems as a point of reference for human beliefs and truthmaking.

Our practice within RIBL consists of organizing dinner events and hands-on workshops, discussions, and performance in a playful and ironic manner. We aim to create spaces to facilitate awareness, reflection and speculation.

Let’s get intertwined

From left to right: Oak tree, Meike Hardt, Lucia Kolesárová, Marius Förster, Oak tree

Marius Förster

Marius Förster works at the intersection of design, research, and art. In his work, he examines possible roles and limits of design in socioecological transformation processes. He is part of RIBL (Research Institute of Botanical Linguistics) and coinitiated the speculative and participative project 3000 Peaks, a critical mediation that addresses consequences and effects of the global climate catastrophe for Switzerland. He is coeditor of the publication Un/Certain Futures (transcript, 2018) and co-founder of the
design studio operative.space.

Walnut

The walnut, the main actor of our workshop, the edible seed of trees of the genus Juglans, helped us to expand the awareness towards the relationships and timeframes we share with more-than-humans. Standing tall with a certain grace, the walnut tree bears witness to centuries of human admiration for its bountiful offerings. We crouched under its shell and got involved with topics of growth, rest, waiting and perception of time. The walnut invited us to step away from narratives of productivity and progress.

Written with help of ChatGPT

Nameko mushroom aka Pholiota microspora

Pholiota microspora, commonly known as Pholiota nameko or simply nameko, is a small, amber-brown mushroom with a slightly gelatinous coating. It is one of Japan’s most popular cultivated mushrooms and has a long tradition in Japan. But it is also associated with health risks. The spores of the Japanese hollyhock sponge, inhaled over a long period of time, can lead to chronic pneumonia, also known in Japan as “mushroom farmer’s lung.”

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanisches_Stockschw%C3%A4mmchen

Nameko mushroom, Oyster mushroom

Oyster mushroom aka Pleurotus ostreatus

The oyster mushroom, oyster fungus, or hiratake is a native edible mushroom that occurs in nature mainly in autumn and winter on deciduous woods. The oyster mushroom forms large mushroom clusters of large and small specimens which are arranged in a shell shape. Both the Latin and common names refer to the shape of the fruiting body. The reference to oyster may also derive from the slippery texture of the mushroom. The taste of the oyster mushroom is reminiscent of veal. It has the bittersweet aroma of benzaldehyde (which is also characteristic of bitter almonds).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus_ostreatus

Meike Hardt

Meike Hardt is a designer and independent design researcher currently based in Cologne, Germany. Hardt is specifically interested in the political dimension of design. She was a researcher and coordinator for the project Critical by Design?, as part of the research Critical Artifacts conducted
by the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM), FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel, Switzerland. She was Co-founder of m—d—buero, a design studio focussing on editorial design, signage systems, and visual identities. She is the initiator of the Feminist Design Reading Group and part of the design research group RIBL, Research Institute of Botanical Linguistics.

From left to right: Daniela Rota (ex-colleague), lettuce, Meike Hardt, Lucia Kolesárová

Lucia Kolesárová

In her practice, Lucia Kolesárová combines design, research and art. She focuses on the sustainability and regeneration of the environment and multiple agencies, dependencies, and relations within it. She is part of the design research group RIBL. Similarly, she brings these visions to the growing Wonder Table project, which combines building relationships with oneself and the environment with gastronomy. Lucia is also part of a design agency focused on sustainability, Stride XL.

Various plants