Our encounters between researchers and artists from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) and the University of Oxford open up new fields of engagement between the arts, humanities and sciences. We anticipate that this new exchange of methodologies, modes of representation, language and other qualities will lead to innovative contributions in the arts and sciences alike. We embrace a worldview that purposely goes beyond preconceived disciplinary borders and integrates speculative, subjective and positivistic approaches to problem-solving and creation. Launching these encounters alongside the current shift to digital communication requires also a critical assessment of the impact that any given media has on the execution of its dependent activities. It is our desire to develop a balanced interaction between content and media, which can support, inform and structure each part positively and grant new experimental spaces of shared exploration between the members of both universities. The encounters are intended to provide a novel emphatic perspective on how we can work, think and communicate.

The Oxford/Berlin Creative Collaborations

The “Sound of Contagion” explores what a society of contagion can sound like and how technology can illuminate 2020 pandemic and others throughout history. The collaboration weaves together world-building, speculative fiction, artificial intelligence, and music to offer strange and thought-provoking answers

First in a trilogy, this podcast introduces the creative collaboration on Climate Crisis Thinking.
Through Eiko Soga’s investigation and artistic work with an indigenous community in Japan called the Ainu, we discover personal dimensions of societal issues, enabling us to explore both thinking and learning through the process of hunting and food preparation.

Listen to part two and three of the three-part podcast 'Animal Eyes on the Planet' on 'Current Situation' - the blog of the UdK Class Experimental Film / Media Art, lead by Prof. Nina Fischer.

Current Situation

'Animal Eyes on the Planet' on torch.ox.ac.uk

Watch 'Ainu Hunter, Mon-chan' by Eiko Soga on 'Current Situation' the blog of the UdK Class Experimental Film / Media Art, lead by Prof. Nina Fischer.

Current Situation

This film seeks to explore an idea of ecology of empathy between human and non-human worlds. Eiko presents an ethnographic video essay which includes an oral history from a member of the Ainu community, Mon-chan (Atsushi). Using visual and audio recordings that the artist collected throughout 2019 – Eiko explores the question:

How we can imagine a future that is more ecological and inclusive, with a sense of reciprocity?

Created on the Charisma.ai platform, WillPlay is an AI-powered, immersive reimagining of Shakespeare's plays which allows school students to chat online with Shakespeare's characters and message their way through the drama. In this podcast, we discuss how WillPlay was created, exploring the inspiration behind the project and our ideas for future developments.