Robert Seidel & Regina Wuzella
Algorithmic Mirrors: Multi-Layered Self-Portraits with Photogrammetry
Intensive Workshop, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
Fridays, 14-20 h & Saturdays, 10-17 h on 23./24.5. & 6./7.6.2025, Bundesallee 1-12, Raum 341 (23./24.5.) und Raum 340 (6./7.7.)

Registration on Moodle starts on 14.4.2025: https://moodle.udk-berlin.de/moodle/course/view.php?id=2667
Enrollment Key: portrait

Photogrammetry, the art (and science) of creating 3D models from photographs, can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and creative expression. Using this technology, students can merge the external, tangible self with deeper layers of personal identity and inner experience, allowing personal narratives to be expressed. The algorithmic transformation of photographic data can produce artefacts that are far more than technical imperfections - they are nuanced lenses into our understanding of the world. High-density point clouds can capture extraordinary detail, while low-resolution models or Gaussian Splats create abstracted, almost impressionistic representations. Each technological choice becomes an act of interpretation, blurring the line between documentation and artistic intervention. Some artefacts emerge as ghostly traces or fragments, functioning as archaeological excavations that bring submerged narratives to the surface. Particularly fascinating are the properties that photogrammetric algorithms struggle with: transparent surfaces, reflective materials, rapidly moving objects.

Participants will learn basic photogrammetric techniques to capture 3D models of objects, spaces and parts of their own or others' bodies. They will then creatively manipulate these to symbolize different aspects of their identity or emotions, building a multi-layered self-portrait that expand traditional notions of self-representation.

Fulfilment criteria for ungraded accreditation: Willingness to experiment with software and to contribute to a process-based exploration with different approaches and to engage with the theory and history of photogrammetry. Each participant must bring a laptop/computer and a smartphone.

Robert Seidel began his studies in biology before transferring to the Bauhaus University Weimar to complete his degree in media design. His projections, installations and experimental films have been shown in numerous international festivals, as well as at galleries and museums such as the Palais des Beaux-Arts Lille, ZKM Karlsruhe and Art Center Nabi Seoul. In his work Seidel is interested in pushing the boundaries of abstracted beauty through cinematographic approaches, as well as ones drawn from science and technology. By the organic interplay of various structural, spatial and temporal concepts, he creates a continuously evolving complexity. He has given artist talks and masterclasses at institutions such as Ars Electronica, the Chaos Communication Congress, the Node Institute, the Babelsberg Film University, the Austrian Film Museum and the Prompting Culture Conference. More information on http://www.robertseidel.com.

Rinah Regina Wuzella is a researcher and free lecturer. She studied Media Studies at the University of Vienna and at the Université Paris Nanterre and Post-Conceptual Art Practices at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. She completed a research semester at UC-Berkeley, CA and was then a research assistant at FAU-Erlangen-Nuremberg and also worked as a freelancer in the cultural field and freelance lecturer at Bauhaus Universität Weimar and Filmuniversity Babelsberg, Potsdam.