“Uncontrolled Growth” as part of the Schöneberg Art exhibition with ‘Forgotten Garden’ by Thilo Seibt
Fotoatelier am Schönen Berg
01.11.2025 – 09.11.2025
Mansteinstr. 16, 10783 Berlin
opening time:
Sa, 01.11.2025 14:00 – 20:00 (Schöneberger Artrundgang)
Su, 02.11.2025 12:00 – 18:00 (Schöneberger Artrundgang)
Sa / Su 14:00 – 18:00
The unplanned as a creative force
Something is out of control. It is growing. Disorderly, unplanned, wild. It is rampant growth. Depending on the context, we attribute different meanings to the term. The term is commonly used in botany. It refers to the natural growth of plants without human intervention. We also find rampant growth in a figurative sense – whenever structures, regulations or developments proliferate in an uncontrolled and uncoordinated manner. For example, in bureaucracy, when too many rules, regulations or responsibilities overlap or contradict each other. Or in urban development, when settlements spread wildly and without an overall concept. Or in interpersonal relationships, in the wardrobe, on the street …
Uncontrolled growth refers to uncontrolled, haphazard or uncoordinated growth, whether in nature or in social or technical systems. It often has negative connotations and is associated with disorder. In an environmental context, for example, we observe invasive plant species growing wildly into native flora and displacing native plant life. Uncontrolled growth can therefore completely change (eco)systems.
On the other hand, uncontrolled growth in nature can also promote biodiversity because it creates habitat and food for insects, birds and small animals. In addition, areas of wild growth have their own natural charm and are very attractive.
In a figurative sense, uncontrolled growth – for example, in ideas, structures, thinking or art – can be creative and innovative: disorderly, free developments often give rise to unexpected and new ideas. While strict order suppresses diversity, uncontrolled growth allows different approaches to coexist. In organisations or projects, uncontrolled growth can mean that things develop flexibly and naturally instead of being rigidly planned. And sometimes uncontrolled growth is also resistance: as a counterbalance to fixed norms and overregulation.
Participating artists:
Anneliese Fechner, Birgit Hampel, Cornelia Ogiolda, Edith Maria Balk, Erhard Flach, Gabriele Kuhlewind, Sibylle Hoffmann, Thilo Seibt, Thomas Tillmann, Ute C. Bauer, Wolfgang Eschenhorn, Winfried Mateyka
Silent witnesses to history can often be found in the countryside. Buildings, paths, trees, objects, bushes and traces are waiting to be discovered. Most of the time, they do not want to be found together. They grow together with the landscape in different ways. Some disappear. But when walking through the countryside or collecting things, individual clues can be found. Initial suspected connections arouse human curiosity and the search for one’s own origins. After further exploration of the landscape and books, the witnesses begin to speak. These are stories of days gone by, forgotten destinies. Short and long novellas written by everyday life, whether recent or long ago. They allow us to gaze dreamily into the past or recoil in horror.
