Rebecca Riedel

Wie können Filmprojektionen einen Raum erweitern, verwandeln oder  eigenständig kreieren? Unter dem Thema „Shape Shift Stage“ findet über ein Semester die Untersuchung von filmischen Mitteln und Projektionsmöglichkeiten in theatralen Inszenierungen statt. In Theaterräumen, Performances, Ausstellungen, sowie auf Laufstegen und ähnlichen Orten inszenierter Präsentationen, kommen räumliche Projektionen immer häufiger und selbstverständlicher zu Einsatz. Wir wollen untersuchen wie Inhalt, Film und Raum miteinander in Dialog treten und welche Möglichkeiten sich daraus ergeben können dem Existierenden dadurch einen Mehrwert hinzuzufügen. Modellversuche mit Live-Kamera, Mappings, Beamern, verschiedenen Projektionsmaterialien und Sound werden entwickelt, erprobt und performativ in einem Bühnenraum zur Aufführung gebracht.

English:

How do we expand space through projections? How transform or even create new ones? Under the title „Shape Shift Stage“ we will explore the potential of film and projections in theatrical staging during the semester. Spacial Projections have become quite common for many forms of presentation such as theatre, performances, exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts and similar event spaces. We are going to investigate the dialogical possibilities of content, film and space and the potential to create additional value as result of these interactions.

Experiments with live camera use, mappings, beamer, different projection surfaces and materials and sound will lead to a rehearsed performative presentation show in a theatre space.

when: mondays  11 am - 2 pm
where: GRU 129 and at the theater ( to be announced)

start: Mo. 24.4.
further dates:  8.5.  / 15.5. / -  / - /  5.6. / 12.6. /  19.6. /  24.6. /  5.7./  6.7. / 7.7
rehearsal week and show : 3.7. - 7.7. at Deutsches Theater (2 days rehearsal , 2 days show)

Rebecca Riedel studied Experimental Media and Design at UdK Berlin and in Groningen, NL.
Her main field is film and video scenography in theatre, opera and performance. She works in the major German language theatre spaces.
Next to her theatre work she is a member of Superschool, a video art and performance collective creating experimental show formats combining art, science and mass media.

Lilli Kuschel and Vanina Saracino

Plants are radical systems. They sustain themselves by absorbing chemical compounds and light only, without relying on predating other living beings for nourishment, nor exploiting their biochemical work. Their fundamental independence (known in biology as autotrophy) is antithetical to the human ways of conceiving nutrition: A form of extraction based on industrial food (over)production that has ultimately reshaped the planet and the relationships among its inhabitants. In the "Plantationocene" (a term coined by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing in 2015), amidst the escalating climate crisis, plants provide a valuable framework for learning and adopting new ways of thinking and doing.

In recent years, our understanding of plant life and the vegetal world has been consistently reshaped, with the emergence of the pioneering field of plant neurobiology, led by Stefano Mancuso, arguing in favor of plant “intelligence,” “sentience” and “consciousness.” These studies have, on the one hand, caused a stir among the scientific community, polarizing opinions among biologists, and, on the other, sparked a newfound interest in the vegetal world among philosophers and artists, who have quickly recognized the importance of this new outlook on the vegetal work and its implications.

Even from the situated perspective of a big city like Berlin, plants can offer valuable insights and lessons through their ability to thrive in various environments. Here, they survive and even thrive in human-crafted rainforests under controlled conditions, but also in spontaneous and accidental gardens that emerge within the concrete wounds of a gentrified city under permanent construction. By studying the life of plants in the city, we can learn about their resilience, adaptability, and ability to find nourishment and resources in unexpected places.

Berlin's Ecosystems will provide an immersive experience through a curated series of visits to both human-crafted and spontaneous green spaces - artificial and accidental gardens. Participants will explore the different spaces and their specific flora by filming with digital cameras as a method of artistic research and inquiry. They will engage in group discussions, collective readings, and explore the diverse ways in which plants thrive in the metropolitan urban context. Invited guests from various interdisciplinary fields will introduce their work and help us to dive into the life of plants in the city, uncovering layers of vegetal intelligence in relation to the urban life of humans, and inviting us to rethink our relationship with nature and the vegetal world.

Introduction 
Date: May 8th, 3–5 pm
Venue: UdK, room 129 (Medienhaus, Grunewaldstrasse 2–5)
Duration: 2h

Day 1: Designed urban nature (with Prof. Daniel Hromada)
Date: Tuesday, May 9th, 2:30 pm – 5 pm
Venue: Kleingartenanlage Dreieck Nord e.V (Berlin, Pankow) 
Duration: 2.5h

Day 2: Accidental VS Artificial Garden 
Date: Wednesday, May 10th, 10 am – 4 pm 
Meetingpoint: 10 am / Ruine der Franziskaner Klosterkirche, Klosterstr. 73a, 10179 Berlin 
Program: Tour Berlin plants tell stories of Berlin (2h), with Katrin Scheurich (in German and English) & Botanical Garden (Berlin) 1:30 pm – 4 pm 
Duration: 6h

Day 3: Artificial rain forests in Brandenburg, Part I
Date: Thursday, May 11th, 11 am – 5 pm 
Venue: Biosphere Potsdam
Duration: 6h 

Day 4: Artificial rain forests in Brandenburg, Part II
Date: Friday, May 12th, 11 am – 6 pm
Venue: Tropical Island (Krausnick)
Duration: 7h

Workshop with Kalma

In this practical class, we will explore the possibilities of video mapping in real time, as well as the different kinds of mappings, the use of live cameras and sound reaction and the implementation of video players to run video installations for long periods. The software used is Madmapper, the reference application for video mapping andprojections that is designed specially for artists.

The objective of this seminar is to articulate, develop and execute an idea from its conception to its final development. The results will be presented at the end of the course. For this occasion, we have the support of Madmapper, who will supply us with a full license of the software for every student that will run for one month without restrictions.

Kalma is an audiovisual artist based in Berlin that implements real-time processes to create Immersive installations, light sculptures, mapping projections and audiovisual performances. Across a variety of formats her signature is undoubtedly the profound synaesthesia between the soundscape and her visual structure. Since 2010 Kalma has been running the “Vjing and 3D Mapping Techniques Workshop”, which has been specifically designed by the artist. She also works as Live Video Dozent for the New York University Berlin and the Deutsche Oper.

Till Beckmann

Neben der Vertiefung der Technischen Grundlagen soll es um die Komposition in Bild und Zeit gehen. Dabei wird es einen Schwerpunkt auf räumliche Relationen und wie sich diese erzählen lassen geben. Dies soll sowohl in unterschiedlichen Einstellungen (Schnitt) als auch durch die Bewegung der Kamera untersucht werden.

English:

In addition to deepening the technical basics, this practical camera course focuses on the composition in image and time,spatial relations and how they can be narrated. We will experiment with different settings and varoius possible movements of the camera.