Zebrafish are one of the most commonly used model organisms in scientific research. The project explores their socio-cultural signifiance, examining complex interrelationships between the worlds of zebrafish and humans, across micro and macro scales – and what it means to use the body of one species as a model for another. 

Working with scientists from the Physics of Life (POL) cluster of excellence at TU Dresden, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), and the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), the project will extrapolate current biomolecular research to consider hypothetical cultural and biological impacts of zebrafish in the next 100 years – from regenerative human hearts, to human-like tissue grown from fish cells, and other ways in which the boundaries between humans and zebrafish will continue to blur.

Through documentary film, the project will also trace relationships between human and zebrafish beyond the lab – showcasing the complex ways in which these two species, their bodies and ecosystems are already deeply interconnected at planetary scale. From pet shops and domestic aquariums, to industrial sites in the Netherlands, to rivers in West Bengal India, to a petri dish in a lab in Germany – the project will document a range of interconnected cultural, material, and ecological landscapes.