Wanwu Council: Manifesto

From 6 to 8 August 2021, Zheng Bo held the first Wanwu Council meeting, which took place as part of his exhibition with the same title. During his time as the In House: Artist in Residence 2020, Zheng Bo worked with the term from Daoist philosophy, wanwu. Translated as “ten thousand things”, “myriad happenings” and also “more-than-human”, wanwu designates the infinite possibilities of life in all its forms. In this moment of climate and ecological crises, Zheng Bo states “if we really want to move into a future where humans are not the centre of the world, we need to treat other forms of life and materiality with full respect: biologically, intellectually and politically.”

Wanwu Council brought together twelve participants to discuss how the Gropius Bau can move towards a sustainable future that respects all species, states and matters. The flourishing plane trees to the west of the building caught Zheng Bo’s attention. He renamed the car park Gropius Wood to honour this more-than-human community. Microbes are another presence at the Gropius Bau, which humans seldom perceive. The manifesto highlights that the Gropius Bau is already wanwu. The meeting took place in Gropius Wood, Grumsin beech forest in Brandenburg, as well as the exhibition spaces, where the Wanwu Council members wore scarves depicting the other life forms or matter they were channeling.