Newsletter Issue - 2020/1 CZ#11 (external version)

Editorial Dear friends of »Matters of Activity«,

we hope you started well into the new decade! Happy new year! In the first CZ# issue of 2020, we would like to give you insights in what has been happening this year already and what is coming next by pointing out interesting events for our members and beyond. We would also like to introduce to you Eva Schmidt, our new colleague in the Science Communication Team. Check out her profile in the »New Members« section of this issue.

Happy reading,
Antje Nestler, Eva Schmidt and Franziska Wegener

Liebe Freund_innen von »Matters of Activity«,

wir hoffen, Sie sind gut in das neue Jahrzehnt gestartet und wünschen ein gesundes neues Jahr! In der ersten CZ#-Ausgabe des Jahres 2020 geben wir Einblicke in das, was in diesem Jahr bereits geschehen ist und darüber hinaus, welche interessanten Veranstaltungen uns in den kommenden Wochen erwarten. Wir freuen uns zudem, unsere neue Kollegin Eva Schmidt in der Abteilung Wissenschaftskommunikation vorzustellen. Schauen Sie sich gern ihr Profil in der Rubrik »New Members« in dieser Ausgabe an.

Viel Spaß beim Lesen wünschen,
Antje Nestler, Eva Schmidt und Franziska Wegener

Nature as Source of Inspiration

The Innovation Potential of Bio-inspired Materials

Stone Web – Spatial module system made from basalt fibre at the weissensee academy of art berlin (Idalene Rapp, Natascha-Katharina Unger, Christiane Sauer). Copyright: weissensee academy of art berlin, I. Rapp, N. Unger

News | Publication Nature is a source of inspiration for the production of new materials. A project by acatech in cooperation with the Cluster Deputy Director Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Fratzl, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), highlights the innovation potential of bio inspired materials – from chemistry and energy to medicine and robotics, art and design. → more

Die Natur ist Impulsgeber und Inspirationsquelle für die Herstellung neuer Materialien. Ein Projekt von acatech in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Cluster Co-Sprecher Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Fratzl, das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert wurde, beleuchtet das Innovationspotenzial biologisch inspirierter Materialien – von Chemie und Energie über Medizin und Robotik bis hin zu Kunst und Design.

Governing through Design

Deputy Director Prof. Dr. Claudia Mareis raises Funds through Sinergia Project Funding

News The project of the University of Art and Design FHNW, the University of Basel and Concordia University in Montreal analyses the extent to which design - comprehensively understood - influenced and changed political thought and action in the second half of the 20th century. → more

Mini Retreat »Filtering«

»Filtering« PIs and their PhD Candidates Met for Fruitful Presentations and Discussions

Event | Filtering One of the main goals of the mini retreat »Filtering« at Schloss Steinhöfel was to connect PhD Candidates and various Principal Investigators of the Cluster as well as to give them a stage to present the current state of their dissertation, the challenges they are facing and the next steps they have planned. After each presentation the attending PIs and PhD Candidates gave feedback to the presenter and discussed possible approaches to the described challenges and how to procede with their research in general. → more

New MoA Members

Michael Droste

Michael Droste is a Computer Scientist and PhD Candidate in »Symbolic Material« and researching on interaction and visualisation techniques for high-dimensional and non-euclidean spaces utilizing virtual reality. Since 2013 he contributed in various ERDF-funded projects as a member of the research group. → more

Mohammad Fardin Gholami

Mohammad Fardin Gholami has studied Polymer Engineering and Science during his Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science. During his doctoral studies, he has been focused on the physical and chemical properties of 2D membranes. Fardin's research in the project »Cutting« is based on utilizing the scanning probe microscopy methods in creation of a nano surgical room for biological matter and an active space in nano scale for high precision cutting and manipulation of materials. → more

Yoonha Kim

Yoonha Kim is an Anthropologist interested in how people imagine the future and take action. She studied Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins in London, and Visual and Media Anthropology at FU Berlin. In »Object Space Agency«, she is looking into traditional Korean clothing – the ›Hanbok‹ – as an active matter and how the East Asian ontology embedded in the garment can trigger divergent ways of how digital objects exist. → more

Julien Letellier

Julien Letellier studied Applied Computer Science at HTW Berlin. There he joined the INKA Research Group to develop interactive systems for cultural institutions and industrial partners. In his PhD at the Cluster he researches approaches for collaboration in augmented reality environments. This should yield new methods and software solutions for interdisciplinary design and prototyping of AR applications. → more

Stefanie Meisgeier

Stefanie Meisgeier holds a B.A. in Art and Visual History (major) and Cultural Studies and European Ethnology from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and recieved her M.A. in Art and Visual History from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Since 2017 she is PhD Candidate at HU's Institute for Art and Visual History under the supervision of Horst Bredekamp. → more

Prof. Thomas Ness

Thomas Ness holds the Cluster Professorship in »Embodied Interaction« at the product design department of the weißensee school of art and design berlin. Having a background in designing physical interactions, he has done work for international clients ranging from automotive and tech industry up to educational and cultural institutions. → more

Felix Rasehorn

Felix Rasehorn is a practice-based PhD Candidate associated with »Cutting«. He holds a M.A. in Interaction Design from weißensee school of art and design. In his thesis, he approaches the convergences of models and prototypes in science, medicine, and design from an interaction point of view, focusing on hybrid forms of interacting with the virtual and the physical model. → more

Eva Schmidt

Eva Schmidt studied Business Administration and Communication, Language and Media Studies and worked as a consultant for a communication agency in Berlin. Together with Antje Nestler, she has been responsible for Science Communication since January 2020. She takes care of events, public relations, public image, press and last but not least internal communication. → more

Kolja Thurner

Kolja Thurner is an Art and Visual Historian. He studied Art History, German Studies and Philosophy at Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen (B.A.) and Art and Visual History at Humboldt-Universtiät zu Berlin (M.A.). Since 2017 he is working as a Research Assistant to Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp. His PhD project »Patinir and the Pioneers of Seeing« investigates the visual culture of double images in 16th century Antwerp art. → more

Binru Yang

Binru Yang studied Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TU Dresden. Her previous diploma thesis was about adapting structure to certain conditions via finite element analysis. Binru is a PhD Candidate in the Project »Material Form Function«. → more

Art, Colonialism, and an Anti-colonial Legacy: The Blind Spots in our Politics of Memory

Jakob Augstein in Conversation with Horst Bredekamp

Photo: Barbara Herrenkind. Copyright: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/freitag-veranstaltungen/salon-in-berlin-mit-horst-bredekamp

Event At »Freitag Salon, 2 at 8«, on January 27th, Jakob Augstein talked to Horst Bredekamp about anti-colonial and liberal concepts in the ethnological approach to cultures and the implications for a possible culture of remembrance. → more

KuI 2020: Extended Call for Abstracts

Call The call for abstracts of KuI 2020 has been extended. With the 18th »International Conference on Culture and Computer Science 2020 – Extended Reality« the multifaced bridges between reality and virtuality are beeing adressed. Proposals for oral presentations, short presentations, posters or demonstrations must be submitted in English language by January 30th, 2020.

Please find all relevant information here: ↗ https://kui.htw-berlin.de/kui-2020-extended-call-for-abstracts/

On Activity

A Joint Symposium on Activity and Materiality

Symposium »On Activity«. Copyright: »Matters of Activity«

Event | Symbolic Material | Weaving The symposium took the ongoing revolution in the understanding of matter in the natural sciences and the question of activity as its starting point, but focused on the answers of the humanities. The event on February 7th was jointly organised by the projects »Symbolic Material« and »Weaving«. A summary of the symposium, written by Michael Friedman and Karin Krauthausen, is available in German. → more

Entity:City Exhibition at CityLAB

The Design Studio Project Invited to their Exhibition Opening

Copyright: weissensee academy of art berlin

Event | Entity:City On February 12th, Product Design and Computer Science students of the weissensee academy of art and Freie Universität Berlin presented their work under the topic »Entity:City« in cooperation with CityLAB. → more

Claudia Blümle: Aus dem Atelier. Eine Bildgeschichte und Bildtheorie der leeren Leinwand

Lecture Series »Art and Visual Theory« of the Department of Art and Visual History

Copyright: Institute for Art and Visual History Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Event All members and interested persons were cordially invited to the lecture of Prof. Dr. Claudia Blümle on February 12th at 6:15–8:15 pm. The lecture series has been taking place since the winter semester 2019/2020. On January 22nd, Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp gave his lecture on »Die rückstürzende Metaphysik der Bildwissenschaft«. → more

Alle Mitglieder und Interessierte waren herzlich eingeladen an der Ringvorlesung von Prof. Dr. Claudia Blümle am 12. Februar um 18:15–20:15 Uhr teilzunehmen. Die Veranstaltungsreihe findet seit dem Wintersemester 2019/2020 statt, am 22. Januar hielt Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp seine Vorlesung zu »Die rückstürzende Metaphysik der Bildwissenschaft«.

Student Assistant in the Project »Material Form Function« (m/f/d)

40h per Month, limited for 24 months – KSBF/26/20 – Application Deadline 21 April 2020 – Start of Employment: June 2020

job The project »Material Form Function« is looking for student assistant in Biology → more

Das Projekt »Material Form Function« sucht derzeit eine studentische Hilfskraft im Fachgebiet Biologie

Student Assistant in the Project »Object Space Agency« (m/f/d)

40h per Month, limited for 24 months – KSBF/27/20 – Application Deadline 19 May 2020 – Start of Employment: June 2020

job The project »Object Space Agency« is currently looking for a student assistant in the field of visual communication → more

Das Projekt »Object Space Agency« sucht derzeit eine studentische Hilfskraft im Fachgebiet Visuelle Kommunikation

Career Opportunity Outside of MoA: Post-Doctoral Position in Design, Infrastructure & Politics

Concordia University Montreal

Job Concordia University Department of Sociology and Anthropology in Montreal, Canada is seeking a Postdoctoral Associate for a position of 3 years (potentially extendable to 4 years pending funding) as part of the global research project, »Governing Through Design: An Interdisciplinary Phenomenon,« sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Start date: May 1st, 2020. Applications are due by February 15th, 2020.
More Information can be found ↗ here.

The Analog in the Digital Age

Save the Date of 11 November 2020 for our Annual Conference

»The Analog in the Digital Age« MoA Annual Conference, 11 November 2020, Credits (From Top to Button, Left to Right)<br />
Bacterial Curtain. Copyright: Bastian Beyer and Iva Rešetar<br />
Visualization of the cellular network inside a compact bone. Copyright: Andreas Roschger & Richard Weinkamer, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces<br />
Medallion commemorating Lorenzo de’ Medici: Felt hat and two daggers, after 1537. Copyright: Arthor’s Archive<br />
E. Coli Colony Biofilm. Copyright: Michelle Mantel for »Matters of Activity«<br />
Crochet Model of a Hyperbolic Plains. Copyright: Regine Hengge<br />
Wax Mulages, Copyright: Michelle Mantel for »Matters of Activity«

»The Analog in the Digital Age« MoA Annual Conference, 11 November 2020, Credits (From Top to Button, Left to Right)
Bacterial Curtain. Copyright: Bastian Beyer and Iva Rešetar
Visualization of the cellular network inside a compact bone. Copyright: Andreas Roschger & Richard Weinkamer, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Medallion commemorating Lorenzo de’ Medici: Felt hat and two daggers, after 1537. Copyright: Arthor’s Archive
E. Coli Colony Biofilm. Copyright: Michelle Mantel for »Matters of Activity«
Crochet Model of a Hyperbolic Plains. Copyright: Regine Hengge
Wax Mulages, Copyright: Michelle Mantel for »Matters of Activity«

Event | Annual Conference We will finally make up for the canceled MoA Annual Conference, that was supposed to take place May 14th. Please save the date of November 11th, 2020 for an exciting day with lots of surprises, new formats and digital participation within the topic »The Analog in the Digital Age«. Stay tuned for more information! → more

Cluster of Excellence
»Matters of Activity«
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin

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