Life and Death Vessels is an installation by Svenja Kratz that showcases a series of artefacts and glass vessels containing both living and preserved plant and animal specimens. The piece delves into the intricate relationships between humans and other life forms, exploring humanity’s enduring quest to comprehend and control the natural world through scientific practices. The work engages with themes of curiosity and classification, highlighting how human efforts to order and understand the environment are both driven by and reflective of broader cultural and aesthetic values. The work has evolved through different iterations, each presenting unique themes and collections of objects that align with the accompanying works and the specific focus of the exhibitions in which they were featured .