Luise Stark

Luise Stark is a researcher at the Department of European Ethnology / Empirical Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Würzburg. Since April 2024, she has been employed in scientific service at the Chair of European Ethnology/Empirical Cultural Studies, where she previously worked as a student and research assistant from 2020-2024. She also served as a research assistant at the Chair of Philosophy and Religion during the same period.

Stark completed her Master's degree in European Ethnology/Empirical Cultural Analysis and Philosophy and Religion at the University of Würzburg in 2024, following a Bachelor's degree in the same fields in 2021. She additionally holds a Master's degree in Design from Angewandte Kunst Schneeberg (2018) and a Bachelor's degree in Textile Art/Textile Design from the same institution (2017).

Her research focuses on multispecies relations, visual anthropology, and aesthetics/artistic research, with particular attention to lichen aesthetics, surface textures, and environmental storytelling. She examines how non-human entities shape human experiences and cultural practices, especially through her current PhD project investigating the production processes of nature documentaries in the context of climate change and species extinction.

Stark's scholarly output demonstrates a consistent exploration of more-than-human narratives across various media formats. Her recent publications reveal an evolving trajectory from surface aesthetics and material culture toward examining production processes in nature filmmaking. She frequently employs visual and sensory methods, creating films, podcasts, and exhibitions that bridge academic research with artistic practice, particularly focusing on how visual coding can access multispecies perspectives in the Anthropocene.

As a researcher, Stark actively contributes to collaborative projects including the I.N.S.E.C.T. Summercamp on Multispecies Worlding as Design Practice and has presented her work at institutions including the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. Her interdisciplinary approach connects cultural anthropology with design practice, creating bridges between academic research and practical applications in understanding human-nonhuman relations.