In 2021 Common Views began work within the Biosphere Reserves of Schorfheide-Chorin and Spreewald in the German state of Brandenburg, north and south of Berlin respectively. The artists brought art-making to local communities, through participatory and collaborative methods, involving the general public and local artists in the project.

Common Views explored UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program as a guideline, presenting potential global solutions for local challenges. The project was in an interdisciplinary dialogue – through the use of arts engagement and creative critical approaches – with the program’s vision for a “world where people are conscious of their common future and their interactions with the planet, and act collectively and responsibly to build thriving societies in harmony within the biosphere”. The artists brought attention to the tensions between conservation and progress, settlement and the natural environment, and to pressing issues such as rural flight and migration. A primary focus for the project was the water environment and water as an effective image for communicating environmental concerns and the social-ecological pressures arising from them.

The artists worked together with the Biosphere Reserve administrations, the University for Sustainable Development in Eberswalde (HNEE), Biosphere Reserves Institute (BRI) researchers, the municipality of Angermünde, Blumberger Mühle NABU and others.