In the context of the climate crisis and the accompanying social change, the project examines the relationship between Berlin and the Spree, the urban space, the citizens and the body of water. How can the river be given its own “political” voice and what can help to create more awareness for the Spree and the influence of humans? We invited Jakob Kukula with the Spree.Berlin project to explore these questions. With the help of buoys, Spree.Berlin draws attention to pollution. Digital tools and media, such as measuring devices and app, record the current state of the river and communicate it to citizens in an accessible way.

The workshop brought together students and practitioners to examine water probe technology and explore its further development. Working collectively, participants mapped the possibilities of open-source hardware and sensor systems for water monitoring — discussing what already exists, what could be improved, and what new configurations might be worth building.The session also opened up a conversation about the relationship between forest and water as interconnected ecosystems. By looking at where the LiFo Lab’s forest-sensing work and the Spree.Berlin water-monitoring approach overlap, participants identified shared technical challenges and potential synergies — laying the groundwork for future projects that move across both environments.