Towards an Aesthetic Theory of Noise in the Anthropocene:

From Disaster Radio Plays to the Sounding Crisis of Climate Change

Ania Maruschat

What can aesthetic noise teach us about how to perceive, understand, and live in the Anthropocene? This talk moves from the aesthetic noise, interference and disruption practices of Andreas Ammer and FM Einheit’s experimental catastrophe radio plays to contemporary artistic research practices that engage with the global climate and extinction crisis. Drawing on my doctoral work on the epistemology of radiophonic noise and my Marie-Curie research project “Sounding Crisis”, I explore how noise, interference, disruption and listening can function as modes of understanding phenomena that resist visual mastery — from technological breakdowns to planetary hyperobjects. Through sonic examples and an open, conversational format, the talk sketches a pathway toward an aesthetic theory of noise as an epistemic tool for our climate- and extinction-threatened present.

Ania Mauruschat is a Sound Studies and Energy Humanities scholar working at the intersection of listening, media aesthetics, and environmental thought. After more than a decade at the public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk/Munich, she began her PhD at the University of Basel and the PhD Lab Epistemologies of Aesthetic Practices at Zurich University of the Arts. From 2021–23 she was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellow at the Sound Studies Lab, University of Copenhagen, where she developed Sounding Crisis, a project on sonic practices addressing climate change in Denmark, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and Australia. She is currently undertaking the project’s final fieldwork phase on Denmark’s renewable-energy island of Samsø. Websites: www.aniamauruschat.de and www.soundingcrisis.eu 

26 Nov 2025, 7:00pm

UdK SoundS
Lietzenburger Str. 45
3.OG, 315
10789 Berlin

Accessibility

Venue
The event will take place on the third floor of the UdK building at Lietzenburger Strasse 45. There is step-free access to the building from the rear entrance via Schaperstrasse. There is an elevator that grants access to the 3rd floor from the main lobby of the builidng.

Public Transport
The nearest metro station with step-free access is U-Kufürstendamm which connects to the U1 and U9.

Times and admission:
The event will start at 7.00pm. If required, we can offer you earlier admission from 6:45 pm so that you can familiarize yourself with the surroundings and choose your seat.

Admission is free.
Late admission after the start of the event is possible. The duration of the event is approx. 90 minutes. 

Seating & sensory stimuli:
The seating available consists of wooden chairs with backrests.

The event tends to have a moderate sound volume. The event room will be darkened with projection light. The venue is heated by central heating. The event is not immersive. The event takes place in a spacious room.

Event type:
The event is planned as an Artist Presentation & Talk. This means that the evening will take place in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. You are free to move around, leave and come back whenever you like. The event is planned to be sensory-friendly. This means that care is taken to reduce strong sensory stimuli to create a place that is as pleasant as possible for everyone. Loud noises and intense lighting effects are avoided.

Language:
The event will be held in spoken English

Contact persons:
If you have any further questions about accessibility, please email or call Thomas Clarke: t.clarke@udk-berlin.de / 00352661476905
If you have any questions or require assistance on site, please contact a present member of staff.

sic! sound in context

Lecture series with international guests on sound art, electronic composition and sound-related media art with talks, presentations and lecture performances.

A cooperation of
Sound Studies and Sonic Arts  (MA) | UdK Berlin
UdK Berlin UNI.K  | Studio for electroacoustic composition, sound art and sound research

SoundS
communication@sounds.berlin