Art and technology in dialogue: Transmediale 2025 inspires Berlin!

Art and technology in dialogue: Transmediale 2025 inspires Berlin!

In its 38th edition, which will take place in Berlin from January 30th to February 2nd, 2025, transmediale, one of the most renowned festivals for media art and digital culture, offers a platform to discuss the profound questions of proximity and distance in a world shaped by algorithms. This year's motto “(near) near but – far” focuses on the effects of algorithmic structures on interpersonal relationships and intimacy. Venues such as the House of World Cultures (HKW) and the silent green Kulturquartier create the framework for installations and performances by artists such as Hana Yoo and Ali Akbar Mehta, who present an interactive cyber performance that stimulates thought.

In addition, the transmediale also refers to current research results, such as the discussions that took place as part of the SENSING research college. This college, which is located at the University of Potsdam as well as at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences and the Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF Film University, made it possible for the first time to discuss the interactions between networked sensor technology and human perception in a public setting. Prof. Marie-Luise Angerer, the speaker of the college, emphasizes the importance of such platforms in order to critically examine both theoretical questions and practical applications.

The influence of sensor technology

The focus of the workshop “The Knowledge of Sensitive Media”, which took place last Friday, was the question of how modern sensor media such as smartphones and wearables influence human sensitivity. Members of the research college discussed at five discussion tables, with some critical assessments being expressed about the implementation of these technologies in everyday objects. One participant asked the provocative question whether technological mediation is necessary to generate empathy. Such considerations are particularly relevant today, as the boundaries between humans and machines are increasingly blurred.

The response from visitors to these topics was extremely positive. The participants were described as being well-positioned thematically and eloquent. Vanessa Oberin, one of the organizers of the workshop, emphasized how enriching it was to go public with your own work at an early stage. This initiative is part of the college's larger goal of researching the conditions and effects of sensory and sensory technologies in various fields of application.

Media art research in context

The connection between transmedia and ongoing media art research is significant. The latter is an interdisciplinary research direction aimed at examining the history of media art and analyzing how art, science and technology interact with each other. Aspects such as interactivity and multimedia are of central importance here. The term “new media art” is highlighted as constitutive of the meaning of the work, with new technologies – including biotechnology – having an increasingly important influence on the development of art forms.

In recent years, the festival landscape has experienced an increase in events dealing with media art. Festivals like transmediale not only promote art, but also the discourse about the technological and social conditions under which this art is created. Important players in media art research are committed to more intensive collaboration between art and science and emphasize the need for institutional support.

In this way, transmediale becomes not only a celebration of digital art, but also a place for reflection on our relationship to technology and each other. At a time when algorithms shape our interactions, it remains essential to question the linguistic and emotional dimensions of human connection in the digital age.

As festival visitors and researchers come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital culture, it becomes clear that the transmediale and the SENSING research college are making an important contribution to the current debate. They invite you to explore the complexity of human-machine interactions and their impact on our society.

Visit transmediale and find out more about the future of media art and the challenges that digital culture brings with it.

For further information about transmediale read ceecee, and for media art research visit Wikipedia as well as the Babelsberg Film University.