Both discover records

She reads rock strata as if they were ancient archives; he spins vinyl as a living memory. Joana Jodie Wagner and Hannes Geiß both speak the language of records—in their own way. Their conversation takes them from the Terebratula Bank to the DJ booth, from seismic waves to bass frequencies, and keeps coming back to the question: what really holds a city and its university together?

Where in Jena does your mood instantly lift or do your best ideas come to you?

Joana Jodie Wagner: My favourite place is the Muschelkalk—that is, here in the Kernberge hills, perhaps even the Terebratula Bank. Oddly specific, I know!

Hannes Geiß: Here in the record shop. I’d say I spend most of my time here. It’s a bit like a living room.

Record shops and geology—where do your worlds overlap?

Joana Jodie Wagner: In geology, we often look at plates when we want to understand ancient ecosystems. And I think records that people used to listen to have a similar significance. They tell the story of a bygone era.

Hannes Geiß: There’s definitely one lecturer at the University who is a loyal regular, and you can have very long, rambling conversations about music with him. Sometimes we would still be sitting here, chatting, two hours after the shop had closed. It used to happen a lot that students would drop by to approach DJs and recruit them for their parties. That’s not the case anymore, but back then the record shop was a real hub. There were even people who chose Jena as their place of study because there was a record shop here— proof that there was a good scene.

When was the last time you felt that the city and the University were working together to achieve something that neither could do on its own? What do you think is excellent about Jena?

Joana Jodie Wagner: For me, this ties in with the question of what connects the city and the University. In every research project, in everything you do academically, the people who aren’t directly involved in academia are part of it too. That means: actually, everyone is part of it every day. Whether it’s the person I get my takeaway coffee from in the morning, or the bus driver who takes me from one institute to another. Every day, if you stop to think about it.

Hannes Geiß: What stands out for me is that, thanks to the city’s location, you can reach a nature reserve very quickly. No matter where you start walking from, within twenty minutes you’re standing on a hill and can escape all the hustle and bustle. I really missed that in other cities.

Where do geology and club culture intersect?

Joana Jodie Wagner: I’m not sure if we’re really clubbers. We’ve got such a cool institute here that we actually tend to party here instead. But we’ve definitely had DJs come and play here before. There’d be a DJ booth set up, and we’d have a party.

Hannes Geiß: The word »vibration« springs to mind. When plates collide, vibrations are created, much like in an earthquake. And when people are dancing and music is playing, you feel it most in the bass, as it travels through the floor. That’s why subwoofers are usually placed on the floor rather than suspended in the air.

If Jena is selected as a University of Excellence—what are your hopes for the shared future of the city and the University?

Joana Jodie Wagner: It would be nice if it became more apparent that the University cannot function without the city, and that the city has a direct influence on the University. If everyone involved became more aware of this, that would be wonderful.

Hannes Geiß: Before the pandemic, there was real momentum: the student body and cultural life in Jena were heavily interdependent. Since the pandemic, that has unfortunately largely collapsed. You hardly see any students actively participating in cultural life anymore—at least from the perspective of the record shop and the events scene.

I’m part of the university city of Jena because…

Joana Jodie Wagner: … Jena has shown me that the unplanned is sometimes the better option.

Hannes Geiß: We are part of the university city of Jena because we provide musical diversity.