Media & Technology © Goethe-Institut Montreal Science, Arts and Media New Nature NEW NATURE is a series of encounters over the course of 2020 between 25 leading climate scientists, artists, and technologists, working on the forefront of immersive technologies. Stromatolites These slimy underwater mats can help store carbon 'Symbiosis/Dysbiosis' VR art installation See, feel, hear the invisible An interview with Winslow Porter Mushrooms, virtual reality and a dose of nature Illustration: Goethe-Institut San Francisco Media Art Image & Bias The Goethe-Institut, Gray Area, Fotomuseum Winterthur, and Artivive are launching an open call for artists, designers, and the general public to submit creative representations on the subject of bias. © Stefanie Sixt Dossier Posthumanism The dossier about the era of Posthumanism addresses the ethical, social and political issues associated with it, as well as ways of dealing creatively with them. Connect! © Goethe-Institut/WiiT VR Meetups Connect! A VR meetup series for women and gender-marginalized people in the field of immersive technology. Bits & Pieces Photo (detail): ©picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild/Jens Kalaene Non-fungible tokens A revolution in the digital art market A blockchain technology is making waves in the art scene. For the first time, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are making it possible to trade digital art just like paintings, sculptures or photographs – and charge equally high prices. We look at what non-fungible tokens are all about and how they can bring in so much money. Photo (detail): © Adobe Fake News “We cannot simply ignore disinformation” What can we do about the flood of false reports, lies and conspiracy theories that make the rounds on the internet every day? Journalist and head of broadcaster ARD’s fact finder team, Patrick Gensing talks about parallel worlds, new pressures on journalists, and how fake news both poses a threat to and strengthens established media at the same time. Photo (Detail): Markus Spiske © Unsplash Frankly ... Posthuman How technology helps us in times of crisis As interpersonal human contact has become a health risk, Liwen Qin outlines how advances in digitalization and information technology can help us cope with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Photo (detail): © Adobe Energy Consumption The Internet as an energy guzzler A very small number of people question whether each individual online search query or the sending of every photo on the Internet is really necessary – this, too, can actually be environmentally harmful. Photo (detail): © Art Directors & TRIPAlamy Stock New Edition of “das goethe” Digital Colonialism The new edition of “das goethe” with the theme “Digital Civil Society” was issued in January 2020. On The Latest at Goethe, journalist Ina Holev explains how colonisation continues in the digital space. Photo (detail): ©re:publica/Gregor Fischer (CC BY-SA 2.0) re:publica Europe’s digital festival The entire net community looks forward to re:publica Berlin every year – and not just in Germany. The conference’s curator, Geraldine de Bastion, talks about re:publica’s history, its importance abroad, and how Germans are talking about digital issues. Photo (detail): © Annika Fußwinkel / funk YouTube Politics for Digital Natives Their videos regularly appear on YouTube channels with names like “MrInfo2Go” or “Young & Naïve” and reach millions of young Germans. Yet these vloggers are not talking about music, gaming, or lifestyles; they are into politics. Photo (detail): © Coding da Vinci Coding da Vinci The digitalisation of culture Visitors to museums and archives usually interact with exhibits locked in display cases in darkened rooms. Yet modern technology has given us ways to more directly experience art and cultural artefacts. Coding da Vinci is an open, cultural data hackathon that digitally brings museum pieces to life. Photo: Youtube Virtual Reality Journalism Living the news We may experience journalism in an entirely new way in future. 360-degree videos and virtual reality reports allow the audience to dive right into a news story and experience events up close. These new formats are also making inroads in Germany. Photo (detail): © Adobe Women in the gaming industry “You haven’t noticed us? Then you need to improve your network!” Computer game development and programming was once a field largely dominated by men. But there is a sea change underway: we spoke to five women from the gaming industry. Photo (detail): © Fritz Schumann Privacy and Digitalisation “Facebook is not the same as your living room” Social media, smartphones, the Internet of Things – whatever happened to privacy? Or has privacy become an outdated idea? This is a conversation with Jan Philipp Albrecht, a staunch advocate of data protection. Photo (detail): © BR / Lisa Hinder Media Initiatives Facts Against Fake News The German media are caught in a crisis of credibility. In order to regain trust and act against manipulated and false information in the internet, they have launched various initiatives. Photo (detail): © MOSAiC/Stefan Hendricks Arctic research The greatest polar expedition of all time In September 2019, the German research vessel Polarstern will depart for the Arctic to drift with the sea ice for a year. 600 scientists from 17 nations on board will study the dwindling, not-so-permanent ice pack. © Vivien Gaumand Exchange program VR:RV An initiative offering professional virtual reality (VR) creators, artists, thinkers and journalists from Canada and Germany the opportunity to exchange knowledge, collaborate on new works, and share their critical explorations with the public. Top
