WATER CREATURES
Welcome to “WATER CREATURES – An Exhibition to Raise Awareness of Water” at the DIALOGMUSEUM Frankfurt. Use the museum’s Wi-Fi to read the exhibition’s accompanying text online: Name: Dialog-Guest. Password: $Dialog-Guest$.
This exhibition space presents water projects that bridge artistic activism and scientific research, invites visitors to engage through tactile objects and videos, and explains what each individual can do to protect water.
The exhibition is located in a room to the right of the museum entrance. The imprint with information about the participants and supporters is posted on the door of the room.
The exhibition does not follow a specific order and can be explored freely according to interest. The following exhibition description begins with the imprint on the door and continues to the left along the wall. For orientation with a white cane, the lower edge of the wall can therefore be used on the left as you walk. After about 3 meters straight ahead, there are four stools in front of a TV with headphones; to the right of them is a small triangular table with tactile objects related to water creatures; in the middle of the room, there is a table with tactile objects related to the appearance of water droplets.
The posters with the wall texts feature dark blue lettering on a sand-colored background; some are decorated with blue segmented circles formed from wave patterns and/or three large red dots. The colors, shapes, and patterns are reminiscent of the water spirit depicted in a large portrait on the wall opposite the entrance door.
If you’d like to sit down, you can use the stools in front of the TV or under the table in the middle of the room. If you have any questions or need help, you can contact the visitor services at any time.
We’ll start the tour at the entrance to the exhibition space.
WATER CREATURES – An Exhibition to Raise Awareness of Water
DIALOGMUSEUM & Anoosh Werner
In complete darkness, you encounter the element of water in a new way—through hearing, touch, and taste. Led by blind and visually impaired guides, it becomes a sensory experience. The exhibition invites you to explore your relationship with water: as a living entity, as the foundation of life, and as a mirror of your own actions. In the light, interactive stations and interesting facts about water await you, as well as exciting projects and people to meet and connect with.
To the right of the text, QR codes lead to three different websites. The first is for testing with descriptions in German, the second leads to a page in simple German, and the third to a page in English.
Imprint
Concept & Curation
Maureen Ekizoglu, Anoosh Sophie Werner
Texte
Anoosh Sophie Werner, Verena Rossow & Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky (ISOE)
Press & Editing
Laura Margielsky
Exhibition Design
Lizzy Jäkel
Accessibility
Laura Margielsky
Building Services
Lucas Hainz
Graphic Installation
Grafix GmbH
3D Printing
Nils Wegener, Hochschule Mainz – University of Applied Sciences, Christine Mayerhofer
Sound Installation
Julia Mihály
Visitor Services
Luna Eckart, Janina Ehlert, Poet Ernst, Noah Handschuh, Lizzy Jäkel, Adrian Kaiser, Fabienne Philipp, Serafina Stöhr
Exhibition Guides
Nooran Ahmad, Navidullah Aziz, Edvin Duric, Yasmina El-Mimouni, Benjamin Godzi, Mirko Krämer, Patricia Mate, Christina Müller, Tetyana Petrak, Elisa Reinecke, Afsaneh Sadeghi, Sezen Stearn, Anne Petrine Waagö
Thanks to
Julia Reisinger, Karsten Krüger (Stadtplanungsamt), Patrick Temmesfeld (blista), Dr. Tobias Mahnke (blista)
Guest Wi-Fi: Dialog-Guest
Password: $Dialog-Guest$
©2026 DIALOGMUSEUM
Logos of the collaborating partners:
Anoosh Sophie Werner, Water Ambassador (Dark blue text with a large wave and swirl pattern below.)
LWV Hessen, State Welfare Association of Hesse (Black text with a light blue curved line ending in a red dot.)
Institute for Fluid Dynamics at the Association for Movement Research (Black text, with a black wave pattern to the right.)
ISOE, Institute for Social-Ecological Research (Text in green and orange.)
regulate (Dark blue text, to the right of which are a dark blue and a light green semicircle touching at one point.)
care wasser e.V. (Black text, to the left of which is a black heart with a wave shape cut out at the top.)
City of Frankfurt am Main (Dark gray text with the city coat of arms in red.)
Vertically at the top right edge of the poster, the DIALOGMUSEUM logo:
DIALOGMUSEUM Frankfurt (Logo in black capital letters “DIALOGMUSEUM”; the word “FRANKFURT” forms a small circle above the last “M”)
Start here with the first poster in the exhibition, on the left wall.
Poster 1
Anoosh Sophie Werner
Anoosh Sophie Werner has a bicultural background and embodies both Armenian and German cultures. For over twelve years, she has been dedicated to water conservation as a freelance water ambassador, artist, and visionary. In her work, she combines political activism with education, art, and yoga. She does not work within clearly defined disciplines, but rather in cycles that interconnect physical practice, social processes, and ecological relationships. She is also an active member of the international civil society initiative Blue Community.
Her creative activism is visible throughout Germany. Among other things, she developed the “Water Suitcase,” which in 2022/2023 was honored with the “National Award for Education for Sustainable Development” from the German UNESCO Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as well as with other prizes. In addition, she created the eight-meter-long, walk-in whale “plapla! Plastic and Plankton,” built from wood and collected plastic waste. The project was first presented in front of the Bundestag in 2019 and subsequently toured Germany. Together with friends, she developed the Rain Bench, which serves as a place for encounter, lingering, and engaging with water in public space.
Since 2024, Anoosh has been writing texts from the perspective of water and developed the performance Aquatopia, which was awarded the International Social Art Award in 2025. Her artistic activism was recognized from among 920 submissions from 70 countries. The film “The Water,” produced by Daniel Falk, was screened at COP25 in Brazil.
She sees it as her life’s mission to raise awareness of water and all living things, always guided by water itself.
www.anoosh.de
In the top right corner of the poster is a photo by Anoosh Werner (©Daniel Falk): a young woman with long brown hair smiles at the camera; she is standing in front of a wooden wall and wearing a yellow T-shirt. At the bottom right, a blue semicircle formed by wave patterns serves as the background. Over this blue pattern are three large red dots that stand out in color.
Two steps further along the wall is the next wall text.
Poster 2
Anoosh’s Water Heart Projects
Carewasser e.V. is a young, nonprofit organization comprised of an interdisciplinary and intergenerational team from Germany. At its core, Carewasser e.V. combines art, transformative educational and communication formats, and scientific expertise to promote a new water culture. In doing so, water is experienced not only as a resource, but as a source of life, inspiration, and community.
Through creative formats, educational projects, and participatory approaches, the organization sparks sustainable thinking and action and actively contributes to the development of a new water culture.
Are you interested in getting involved in water conservation? Then you’re warmly invited to join us and get involved!
To the left of the text is the logo: “carewasser e.V.” in black lettering, with a black heart to its left, the top of which is cut out in a wavy shape.
Rights of Nature e.V. advocates for ecosystems such as rivers, forests, and wetlands to be recognized as legal entities in their own right, thereby granting them enforceable rights to protection, conservation, and restoration. Through legal innovation, local projects, and community engagement, the organization aims to establish a robust framework for a sustainable, democratically legitimized transformation.
To the left of the text is the logo: in black lettering, “Rechte der Natur e.V.”; to the left of that is a stylized female figure wearing a blindfold and holding a set of scales in her outstretched right hand, with her legs forming roots.
Blue Community. Protecting water as a public good is vital—both globally and locally. The Blue Community is a nonpartisan civil society initiative that promotes this protection and pursues the human right to water as a public good as its central goal. Municipalities, schools, and universities can adopt the principles of the Blue Community. Supported by civil society, NGOs, and water utilities, the movement offers concrete solutions for equitable, sustainable, and clean water use.
To the left of the text is the logo: a white drop of water on a blue background surrounded by a circle, with “BLUE” in capital letters at the top and “COMMUNITY” at the bottom.
The Institute for Flow Sciences conducts research based on Theodor Schwenk’s work and pursues a holistic understanding of water, which is expanded through new research approaches.
The goal is to understand the nature of water, promote public awareness, and develop practical solutions for the responsible use of water, supplemented by anthroposophical spiritual science.
The institute offers lectures, workshops, and an experimental exhibition. The methods include water sample analyses for flow dynamics (droplet patterns), effect sensors, and algae studies, as well as chemical-biological quality testing of drinking water.
To the left of the text is the logo: “Institute for Fluid Sciences within the Association for Movement Research, Inc.” in black lettering, with a black wave pattern to the right of it.
The Spree’s rights movement is of great significance in Germany, as it is sparking a paradigm shift. If the Spree becomes the first river to be granted rights, this will mark the beginning of a systemic change in harmony with nature. And perhaps it will also inspire the Main to become a legal entity.
www.rechte-der-natur.org/rechte-der-spree/
To the left of the text is the logo: “RECHTE DER SPREE” in white capital letters inside a dark blue circle with a light blue wave pattern.
At the very bottom of the poster is the call to action: Support the petition now and give the Spree a voice! To the right of it is a QR code for the petition.
At the bottom left, a blue segmented circle formed from wave patterns serves as the background.
Follow the left wall another 2 meters and you’ll reach a TV mounted on the wall; in front of it are four stools with headphones.
Videos
Aquatopia – „The Water“
Three water beings journey from the hidden source of the Havel River to the heart of the cities. In their hands: ice, a fragile message. In their movement: silence, transformation, and quiet questions.
The short film Aquatopia “The Water” by Daniel Falk documents a poetic performance in public space, initiated by the non-profit association carewasser e.V. In collaboration with M.E.E.R. e.V.
The film reflects on water as origin, memory, and connection, and as a call to action.
Concept, Direction, Camera & Editing: Daniel Falk
Based on a text by: Anoosh Sophie Werner
Performance: Felicitas Seyffert, Fabian Ritter, Anoosh Sophie Werner
Body Painting: Katrin Mendler
Costumes: Elphame Fairy Circus (Jellyfish & Octopus), Katrin Mendler (Avatar)
Interview on the HR program “alle wetter!” (September 6, 2023)
Petrine Waagö, a young woman with long brown curls, sunglasses, and a black dress, and host Thomas Ranft, wearing a red T-shirt, glasses, and short gray hair, are standing at a bar table in a studio, chatting; in the background, a picture of Frankfurt is visible.
Further to the right, on the back wall of the room, is the next wall text, next to a large-format portrait of a water creature. In front of the portrait stands a triangular table with various utensils belonging to the water creature, serving as tactile objects.
Poster 3
The WATER BEING Introduces Itself
Hello there, hello everyone!
How wonderful that you want to get to know us. You follow your curiosity to understand the bigger picture and dive deeper into the magic and abundance of life. We are water (H₂O), we are everywhere, with you and within you every moment, all around you. Our form reveals itself in everything that surrounds your life. Thus, we are trees, dandelions, and deer, but also humans and insects. We soar as clouds in the sky, flow as streams or rivers toward the sea, where everything comes together again.
Your origin, the ocean of all being.
Further to the right, on the back wall of the room, is the next wall text, next to a large-format portrait of a water creature. In front of the portrait stands a triangular table with various utensils belonging to the water creature, serving as tactile objects.
If you understand us, you understand the world in which you live. For we are the fabric that holds everything together. Alive, vibrant, and colorful, we speak to you in all our voices—splashing like a stream, bubbling like a spring, or dripping like rain. Roaring like a wave, we cast a spell over you and make time timeless, because we move in a cycle and endlessly shape history as it flows. Thus we return to you again and again, moistening your skin as a drop, water, or tear.
We are what remains and what passes away; thus we are past, present, and future in a single drop.
When we are still, we resemble a mirror, and everything that surrounds us on the outside can be seen in the reflection. Insight and wisdom lie hidden there. They catch all worries and silence distractions. In quiet connection with us, you come into deep contact with yourself. You will discover what you are seeking and awaken your dreams.
So if you ever feel stuck, come to us. Sit with us by the lake, the sea, or the river. Tell us how you’re doing, let your thoughts wander and release your sadness—give it to us. Ask us questions, wait, listen, and you’ll hear our answers whispered softly. This is how we create a space of resonance for transformation. You can hear us rushing and splashing, and like a deep breath, we rise up within your body.
For we are here, with you, every moment. From the first sperm to your death. We are not living beings like you, and yet we represent life itself, for we are contained in everything that is alive. We know no boundaries, and it is precisely this that allows us to make possible all the abundance that keeps you alive. Be it an apple or pear tree, a zucchini or a potato, mint or mycelium. All of this nourishes you and lets you grow—perhaps it even makes your belly burst every now and then.
We are intangible, for our form becomes visible only through context. Whether in the landscape that surrounds you, in the matter you shape into a vessel or an object. We are at home in your body, in your organs, bones, and blood. And even though we are intangible, you can feel us, every moment, for we are the consciousness that flows through you.
If you understand us, you understand life.
Thus we constantly share and unite, yet remain a cohesive whole.
We are confident because we keep flowing, no matter how rocky the path around us may be. For life flows on and on; once you understand this, you will find peace, because the attachment that stifles growth transforms into trust and acceptance, and this is precisely the resonant space of the living world that we must explore and discover.
That is why you are here. To learn to live with love. In harmony with everything that surrounds you and is within you. This is not easy and sometimes involves deep falls. Like water, we too fall, into deep abysses, crashing onto hard rock.
We keep flowing, steadily. Sometimes fast and turbulent, sometimes calm and gentle. Yes, I know, we repeat ourselves, because that is our nature. Constantly moving in a cycle, not fleeting, but eternally alive.
We are the water, and we have come to remind you.
This is followed by a large-format portrait of a water spirit. The young woman’s face, pointed ears, and hair are blue. White and black wave and dot patterns frame her eyes. Above her eyebrows, red dots run across her forehead and converge in a point at the hairline. She wears a glass crown on her head. The lower part of her face, starting from the nose, is covered by blue cloths with wave patterns. The cloths also frame her head in the background.
On the table in front of the portrait lie: a thin blue cloth, an eye mask with dark blue, light blue, and white wave/bubble patterns, a fabric loop with sequins in shades of purple, blue, and silver, and a fabric crown made of round shapes with blue ribbons and a blue fan-shaped veil.
Droplet image
To the right of this, stretching across the entire length of the room, a clothesline is strung up. Hanging from the clothesline are 15 drop pieces, with each set of three pieces belonging together and depicting water droplets from different sources. The matching pieces are separated by a sock, followed by droplets from other sources.
The first three images are of wastewater, the next three of tap water, the following ones of the Rot Main spring, then water from the Main River (near Frankfurt’s Westhafen), and finally from the Weiß Main spring.
These are accompanied by the four tactile objects on the table in the center of the room. They allow visitors to feel the droplet images of wastewater, tap water, the White Main spring, and harbor water. They are labeled on the back.
There are also informational texts here.
What is a droplet image?
A droplet image captures a single moment in a water droplet experiment. It reveals how all the substances in the water interact and what effects they have. Depending on how clean, vibrant, or contaminated the water is, droplet images emerge that display different swirls and line patterns.
The droplet image method complements chemical analyses, but cannot detect individual substances; rather, it reveals the “richness of form” and mobility of the water as a distinct quality aspect.
A drop image is divided into three areas:
Core zone: This is the area where the drop first falls. It stands out clearly from the rest of the image. Inside, one sees many small, rather chaotic forms.
Vortex area: Vortexes form from the core zone. These vortexes have their own shapes and often a certain rhythm. The vortex area transitions outward into the dendrite area.
Dendrite area: With each additional drop, the structures spread further and further across the entire image. Many lines emerge, which together form a greater order.
Water reacts to even very small forces with movement. This movement manifests as a current. Design and form formation occur only as long as the water is in dynamic motion.
Shapes
Varied: A rich, complex pattern. Inter-vortices, vortices, and garlands change from drop to drop.
Simple-leaved: Many long, simple vortices that resemble one another. The core zone is distinct, but not clearly defined toward the outside.
Rdial ring-shaped: The liquid in the droplet forms a ring. Radiating lines extend from the center outward through this ring.
Disc-shaped: The liquid in the droplet spreads out like a disc without forming vortices.
Rhythmic Rosette: In this picture, you can see a rosette. The shapes repeat evenly, creating a calm and beautiful effect.
Rosette: Here, the water looks like a flower from above. It is dense in the center, with “petals” opening outward.
Garland-like Rosette: This rosette has arcs along the edge, like a chain. The lines wrap around the center like a garland.
Leafy Garland: Here you see a garland with many “leaves.” The shapes hang like leaves on a line or a ring.
Garland: The lines form a kind of chain or wreath. They curve in arcs around the image.
Tied garland: This garland is denser and tighter. The shapes are closer together and look as if they are tied.
Droplet imaging method
The Droplet Image Method was developed by the water researcher and remedy manufacturer Theodor Schwenk (1910–1986). He demonstrated that water possesses not only chemical properties but also a living activity and essential nature. This is evident in various qualities of form and movement, through which the water provides information about its own state, itself, and its condition in life. The drop image method helps us to view water in a “new” light. It reveals its behavior and its relationships.
How do you get to know a person? Through a blood test? Or through encounters and conversations? How can you get to know water?
The droplet method reveals the state of the water. In this process, a droplet falls into the water at regular intervals. Circles, swirls, and shapes emerge. In this way, we come to know the essence of water and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes for us to become more alive and playful ourselves. For the more activity and swirling currents there are, the more alive the water is, and the better it is doing. It is an invitation to deepen our perspective: from the purely factual level to the relational level. Specifically: from water as a utility and consumable item to water as a living entity.
Procedure
A Petri dish is filled with a very thin layer (1.1 mm) of liquid consisting of the water sample and 12.5% glycerin. At regular intervals, a drop of distilled water is added. This keeps the water sample in constant motion. These movements are photographed every 5 seconds. The result is a series of droplet images.
You can see and feel 5 different types of water:
- The Main, as a river in the city of Frankfurt am Main
- The two sources of the Main: the Red Main and
- White Main
- Frankfurt tap water, drawn from a private home in the Gutleutviertel
- Wastewater
The Main River is an important part of the city of Frankfurt am Main. The Main has two sources: the White Main spring, in the heart of the Fichtelgebirge, and the Red Main spring, in the Franconian Alps. The two source rivers of the Main converge in Kulmbach and flow together from there through many different cities until the river reaches the metropolis of Mainhattan, Frankfurt am Main. From there, it continues flowing until it empties into the Rhine at Wörth am Rhein.
Below the text is a map showing the course of the Main River from its two sources to where it flows into the Rhine. Major cities and mountain ranges are also marked on the map.
On the far wall of the room, next to the entrance door, there are three more wall texts.
Poster 4
Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) in Frankfurt am Main
The ISOE is a leading institute for sustainability research based in Frankfurt am Main – Bockenheim. We develop scientific foundations and forward-looking concepts for socio-ecological transformations regionally, nationally, and internationally. Together with our partners in academia and society, we create spaces for a transition toward sustainability. Currently, approximately 80 people work at the institute. (Below is the logo of ISOE, Institute for Social-Ecological Research, with text in green and orange.)
What interests us in our research
How can we transform our society so that future generations can also live well? At ISOE, researchers from various disciplines work together to find answers: natural and social scientists combine their expertise because sustainable solutions require both: facts about the environment and climate, as well as an understanding of how people act and make decisions.
The focus is on issues that affect us all: the protection of biodiversity, dealing with the consequences of climate change, environmentally and socially responsible land use, sustainable mobility, protection against pollutants and, of course, our water.
Because water is the foundation of life, a resource, and a key issue for the future all at once.
Groundwater: Research at ISOE
Groundwater is one of our most important resources and yet we cannot see it. It flows hidden beneath our feet, stores water over long periods of time, and supplies millions of people with drinking water.
At the same time, groundwater reserves worldwide are under pressure. Global interconnections such as trade in so-called “virtual water,” international tourism, and large-scale long-distance water supply systems influence how much groundwater is used and where. Local conflicts over water use arise for example, between agriculture, industry, and nature conservation. The consequences can include overuse and a deterioration in water quality.
In the regulate research project, ISOE researchers spent five years working at various locations across Europe on issues related to the use, distribution, and transport of groundwater, as well as conflicts surrounding this resource. The goal was to develop new approaches to sustainable groundwater management.
Want to learn more?
Below is a QR code linking to a page about sustainable water management in Europe. There is also a photo of the team. Six people are standing in front of a building, smiling at the camera.
Poster 5
Did you know …?
Groundwater is sometimes hidden deep underground and sometimes very close to the surface. Groundwater is everywhere beneath our feet sometimes near the surface, sometimes deep below. Even here in Frankfurt.
Groundwater usually flows in complete darkness. It moves through layers of rock, sometimes slowly and quietly, sometimes surprisingly fast. Its paths are often hard to track. Researchers use computer models or dye the water to observe where it emerges again.
A large portion of our drinking water comes from groundwater. It is often particularly pure and is regularly subject to strict testing.
Groundwater sustains crops and ecosystems. It is used to irrigate fields. Forests and other habitats survive dry spells only because plants can draw water from the ground.
Because we can’t see it, we easily forget how important it is. We often don’t realize its significance until it becomes scarce or its quality deteriorates.
Have you heard of “virtual water”? When products like clothing or fruit are exported, the water required to produce them is indirectly “traded” along with them. This water “hidden” in the product is called virtual water it connects water resources worldwide.
Is anyone living down there?
Perhaps you now have a clearer picture of what groundwater is and why it’s so special and worth protecting. What many people don’t know is that groundwater isn’t just water. It’s a habitat in its own right. In the dark spaces between layers of sand and rock, specialized organisms live often tiny and barely studied.
Researchers have taken one of these creatures particularly to heart: Karsten, the groundwater creature. (Photo of a small, almost transparent groundwater creature)
Groundwater bodies form their own ecosystems with astonishing diversity. Yet even today, we only have a partial understanding of exactly how they function and what other creatures are still hidden there. The world beneath our feet is therefore far from fully discovered.
Climate change: The water cycle is falling out of balance
Climate change is altering the Earth’s water cycle and with it, groundwater. In some regions, there is suddenly less water available. In others, heavy rainfall in a short period of time is becoming increasingly common followed by long periods of drought. This has consequences for groundwater: it often can no longer replenish itself as regularly and reliably as it used to. At the same time, our demand for water is rising. When it is hot and dry for long periods, agriculture, cities, and ecosystems need more water. The changes are not without consequences underground either: if groundwater becomes warmer or scarcer, the organisms living there come under stress. Yet it is precisely these often invisible creatures that are important for the natural purification of water and thus for its good quality.
What does this mean for us? The more uncertain natural conditions become, the more important it is to use water carefully and equitably today and in the future.
Plakat 6
What can you do?
Protecting water starts in our daily lives not just once in a while, but as a matter of course.
Save water: Take shorter showers, bathe less often, and don’t let the faucet run unnecessarily.
Use rainwater: If possible, collect rainwater for example, to water plants.
Let water seep into the ground: Where the ground isn’t paved, rain can seep into the soil and replenish groundwater. Maybe there’s a spot in your neighborhood for a plant or a small patch of greenery?
It’s worth asking: The city of Frankfurt am Main offers many more tips on saving water.
And when you’re on vacation, take a closer look: Where does the water come from? Is it in short supply? How can you use it mindfully?
Give it a try here: (A QR code to the “Frankfurt Saves Water” page follows)
A little from everyone adds up to a lot. Join in!
Thank you very much
You have reached the end of the exhibition. We hope you enjoyed it!
To your right is the exit to the museum foyer.
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