Into the deep

In recent decades, the extraction of raw materials has increasingly developed into an ecological, economic, political, and social problem of global proportions. Large-scale mining operations and the exploitation of ecological and social systems are one of the most serious threats facing the environment today. In many places, the effects are catastrophic and yet the fight over resources continues unabated. Since the resources on Earth are finite, there is a constant search for new mining sites that sometimes seem surreal, such as with deep-sea mining and deep-space mining.

Into the deep takes a critical look at the history and present of the extraction of resources, which are inextricably linked to environmental destruction and colonialism. The many-layered complexities of mining for raw materials in the deep sea and in space are examined, as well as forms of resistance and activism against the exploitation of people and the environment. Drawing on Friedrichshafen's history of industrialism, the exhibition also focuses on the raw material aluminium, the metal of flight, which requires large amounts of energy to be extracted from the rock bauxite and not only causes environmental damage, but also produces the toxic waste product red mud.

This catalog - along with the exhibition funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation's Fonds Zero - aim to be climate-neutral. This has been accomplished by using recycled paper with the "Blauer Engel" environmental certification, open-thread stitching without environmentally harmful adhesive bindings, and (organic) printing ink that is free of mineral oil, soy, and hazardous substances. Unavoidable CO₂ emissions have been compensated through a certified forest protection project in the Harz Mountains as the last possible option in climate-protection measures. The catalog also inspires readers to be more environmentally conscious in their actions: DIY instructions for building insect hotels out of aluminium cans or repair hacks provide ways for people to practice recycling directly themselves.

The catalog is being published to accompany the interdisciplinary exhibition Into the deep. Mines of the future, which can be seen until the 5th of November, 2023 at the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen.

With contributions by Ignacio Acosta, Agnes Bidmon, Jürgen Bleibler, Bureau d'études (Léonore Bonaccini & Xavier Fourt), Michael David, Claudia Emmert, Charlotte Ickler, Armin Linke, Ina Neddermeyer, Kristina Õllek, Bethany Rigby, Frauke Stengel, and Caroline Wind.