The Earth's Aliveness
A journey to our Planet's microbiome
June 22, 2025 at the Volkshaus, Zurich
9.15 – 16.30
It's going to get earthy in the Volkshaus when the microbiome is in the spotlight on 22 June 2025!
Earth is
a pulsating organism whose microbiome forms the basis of all life.
Bacteria, fungi and billions of other single-celled organisms, algae and
viruses are our invisible cohabitants, without whom there would be no
life on earth. Our aliveness arises from our relationship with the vitality of the earth, we are one.
Join us in acknowledging how strongly we are connected to these single-celled organisms and how much they influence us and we them in the question of the aliveness of the earth. Together we will embark on a journey to honour, nourish and increase the beauty and diversity of our microbiome.
Helmy Abouleish
SEKEM promotes sustainable development in ecology, economy, societal and cultural life, consciously integrating the interplay of microorganisms into agriculture. Founded in 1977 by the Abouleish family and fellow campaigners, the SEKEM project has transformed parts of the Egyptian desert into a thriving Garden of Eden and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award (‘Alternative Nobel Prize’) under the leadership of Helmy Abouleish.
Gabriele Berg
Head of the Institute of Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology, Gabriele Berg has been researching the microbiome for 30 years. She has conducted many studies about the effects of agriculture on the plant and soil microbiome including one based at the SEKEM initiative looking at its effects on microbial communities in desert soil.
Katharina Serafimova
Social entrepreneur and managing director of Lebendiger Bodensee, an initiative promoting healthy soils, clean water, regional food systems, and vibrant rural communities. She currently leads a research and practice project accompanying farmers around Lake Constance in regenerating soil microbiomes. Katharina is also a co-founder of Shareitt, a platform that fosters a culture of sharing and care within communities. Her professional journey spans banking, corporate sustainability, NGOs, and university teaching.
Ivo Hutzli
As a permaculture-designer, engineer and cultural manager at Permakultur Leben, Ivo uses his skills and knowledge for regenerative projects. His work is about shaping relationships between living beings, closing cycles, transformation, diversity, synergies, co-creativity, sufficiency, resilience and networking. He is active with the Triple Bottom Line© Association and Kinder in der Permakultur - Schweiz.
Earth's Voice
Kaspar König and Fabian Gutscher will take you on a sound journey. Tree different soils will be the main protagonists. Using various microphones and sensors, they will be able to hear the supermarket soil alongside the forest soil from the Emmental, even the building rubble will get a voice.
Kaspar König and Fabian Gutscher are both transdisciplinary artists with a focus on sound and listening practices.
They worked together for the institution (zhdk), where they tried their hand at laminar flow in the wind tunnel and researched its sound potential, and in the Long Distance Lab they tried to bring Zurich and Hong Kong closer together with artistic projects. They share a fascination for critters, the smallest creatures and their complex networks, and for sound kite flying, where the wind becomes a musician. They have learnt to understand the wind and not to fight windmills.
Interactive, participatory discussions and experiential sessions
A lunch that celebrates our microbiomes
Eating food is how we cultivate our own microbiome. On Helvetia Platz, just opposite the Volkshaus, we will be 'Celebrating Microbiomes' with a performance that combines care, fermentation, planting, and cooking, bridging the health of the soil and that of the human body. Using food recovered from waste streams—such as fermented apples from Swiss valleys and wild algae—the audience experiences a symbiotic ritual where soil, water, and gut bacteria mirror one another. The scene unfolds as an offering: moving bodies that honour the invisible and return to the Earth what our systems discard.
The circular, zero-waste menu includes a cracker plate made out of local grains and wild herbs, seasonal hummus, living salad and seaweed. These edible microbiomes become part of the performance, activating the body as a vessel for transformation. Meal tickets available using the regular event ticket link.
Tibetan Music and Mantras
Dechen Shak-Dagsay and Helge Van Dyk
Image courtesy of VANDYKMUSIC
Tickets
Regular
52 CHF
Student
25 CHF
Lunch
10 CHF
More details about the programme at the Volkshaus
Morning
Music: Tibetan Mantras by Dechen Shak-Dagsay and Helge Van Dyk
Keynotes:
Helmy Abouleish, SEKEM Egypt: Greening the Desert
Gabriele Berg, Microbiome Researcher, Technical University of Graz
Katharina Serafimova, Living Lake Constance
Ivo Hutzli, Permaculture Living
Lunch at Helvetiaplatz:
We celebrate the microbiome with culinary delights
Afternoon
Sound Performance: Fabian Gutscher and Kaspar König – What Does a Biome Sound Like?
Participatory Dialogue: How do I/we connect with the beings of the Earth?
Josef Schmid: Experiment in Expanded Perception
"What is the most beautiful microbiome question that we could propose as a popular initiative in Switzerland?"
Catering: Refreshments and snacks are included in the ticket price and are available in the Volkshaus during the breaks. Lunch (separate tickets available), will be provided directly on Helvetiaplatz opposite or, of course, in the Volkshaus restaurant.
Want to dive deeper? The WEFo Book Shop at the Volkshaus features hand-picked jewels: Books about the microbiome in agriculture and in ourselves, books that clarify connections and show new ways in the quest for mindfulness, care and the realization of true connectedness with all life.
Organizer: WorldEthicForum – Team
Moderation and Curation: Linard Bardill / Luea Ritter
/ Anais Sägesser
Simultaneous Translation: German – English
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Heartfelt thanks to our partners for their support on our shared journey:
