Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research

Lab-Talk: KHK c:o/re meets E.ON Energy Research Center

On January 29, 2025, a group of fellows and staff members visited the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems at the E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University.

Professor Ferdinanda Ponci and her team gave us insights into their research topics and we learned about exciting EU projects such as EnerTEF. We also enjoyed a tour of the ACS lab and discovered many common interests ranging from AI and AI bias to hardware-in-the-loop topics.

As part of the Lab-Talks, KHK c:o/re fellows and staff visit various institutes at RWTH Aachen University to promote networking and interdisciplinary collaboration between STEM projects and the social sciences and humanities.

photo credits: Jana Hambitzer

Towards a Philosophy of Digitality: Gabriele Gramelsberger was awarded with the K. Jon Barwise Prize

DAWID KASPROWICZ

On Thursday, January 9, 2025, KHK c:o/re director Gabriele Gramelsberger gave a lecture at the 121st annual meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA), Eastern Division, in New York. Her lecture, titled “Philosophy of Digitality: The Origin of the Digital in Modern Philosophy”, was given in relation to the award of the K. Jon Barwise Prize by the APA in 2023 for her significant and sustained contributions to philosophy and computing.

121st annual meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA), Eastern Division, in New York;
photo credits: American Philosophical Association

Robin Hill, computer scientist from the University of Wyoming and a longtime member of the APA, introduced Prof. Gramelsberger and chaired through the session. Named after the American mathematician and philosopher K. Jon Barwise, the prize honors since 2002 scholars for their lifelong efforts in the disciplines of philosophy and computing, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and computer ethics. Next to Prof. Gramelsberger, who received the prize for 2023, the Israelian philosopher Oron Shagrir from the Hebrew University Jerusalem received the Barwise Prize for 2024. Among the former winners of the prize are well-known philosophers such as Daniel Dennett, David Chalmers or Jack Copeland. Gabriele Gramelsberger was the third woman who won this award.

Gabriele Gramelsberger together with the philosopher Oron Shagrir, Barwise Prize winner 2024, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Amy Ferrer from the American Philosophical Association during the award ceremony; photo credits: American Philosophical Association

Prof. Gramelsberger presented two parts in her lecture: in the first, she introduced her conception of a philosophy of digitality since the modern age, and in the second, she highlighted some current challenges for philosophers to describe digitality as a socio-cultural phenomenon. It is not common in philosophy to relate the digital to thinkers of the modern age. In doing so, Prof. Gramelsberger began her talk with a schema how a prehistory of the digital could be written – a history that does not start with machines and technological objects, but with a reinterpretation of writings such as René Descartes’ Discourse de la méthode from 1637. In this classical book, Descartes did not only introduce a procedure how to separate right from wrong in scientific judging. Following Prof. Gramelsberger, he was also one of the first who systematically described thinking as a cognitive process, a process which could be distinguished in several steps that build up on each other. Instead of only considering the right inference from the premises (as done in syllogistic reasoning), Descartes also conceived thinking as a series of discrete steps that one has to execute appropriately to split a bigger problem into several smaller ones. It is this discrete and procedural way to describe thinking that we also find in the papers of the AI-pioneers Allan Newell and Herbert Simon and their General Problem Solver, as Prof. Gramelsberger argued.

Gabriele Gramelsberger during her talk; photo credits: American Philosophical Association

While Descartes introduced the first discretization of cognitive processes, Leibniz went further to describe cognitive operations with a symbolic system. This artificial language consisting of arithmetic, algebra and logic should constitute the adequation between the object and the concept, between the relations of objects and the judgments. In this sense, Leibniz not only introduced the symbolic order to formulate possible experiences in the real world, he was also able to replace the qualitative and substance-oriented with a formal and quantitative one. This equivalence of being with the formal calculus allowed him to extend the conditions of possible experiences into the transcendence of mathematical operations. From here, Prof. Gramelsberger argued, it is not far anymore to rule-based cognitive operations that could also be externalized – and this is exactly what pioneers of digital computers such as C. Babbage did in the 19th century (see also in Gramelsberger 2023, p. 40-44). 

Chaired the Barwise-lecture session of Gabriele Gramelsberger: Computer Scientist Robin Hill from the University of Wyoming; photo credits: https://www.uwyo.edu/eecs/faculty-staff/lecturers/robin-hill/index.html
Commentator of Gabriele Gramelsberger’s Barwise-lecture, Zed Adams from the New School University in New York; photo credits: https://www.newschool.edu/nssr/faculty/zed-adams/

The execution of such mechanized operations happens today a billion times in a couple of seconds. Taking into consideration, as Prof. Gramelsberger highlighted, that there are more than five billion smartphones in the world, a philosophy of digitality has also to respond to digital cultures and their objects as an everyday experience of most people. In this regard, Prof. Gramelsberger presented in the second half of her talk a more critical and phenomenological approach. It is the operation of digital machines beneath our “phenomenological thresfold” that represents on the one hand a challenge for a philosophy of digitality, but on the other hand also a risk for the wellbeing of the users. In referring to the German concept of “cultural techniques” (Kulturtechniken) (Krämer and Bredekamp 2013), Prof. Gramelsberger illustrated that in cultural techniques such as writing, one always operates with discretized symbols – whether in alphabets or in the arithmetic sense. The fundamental difference with digital machines lies in the affective mode by which they address us, as the Barwise-awardee explained. Most often, the goal of social media communication would be to raise emotions, but the resources to do so are affects that are triggered beneath our threshold of intentional attention. At the end of her talk, Prof. Gramelsberger pointed sharply out to a threatening constellation where man has lost its ability to be “eccentric”, as the German philosopher Helmuth Plessner called it. Instead, in the age of an affective smartphone culture and massive data-storage (often owned by private companies), man becomes centric again and stays in one place to go through a myriad of affective-loaded communications that keep him in a loop to create even more data.  

Gabriele Gramelsberger; photo credits: American Philosophical Association

In his response to Prof. Gramelsberger’s talk, Zed Adams from the New School for Social Research in New York extracted three leading questions: These questions highlighted the relation of the analog and the digital, the question of the copy in the age of the digital, and the challenge how to describe the affective regime in our current smartphone culture. Adams offers to dig deeper into the challenge of a “Philosophy of Digitality” were also taken up vividly by the audience. Especially the distinction of affect and emotion evoked some discussions, but also the challenge how to describe the cultural impact of technologies such as AI with philosophical tools. A first answer was to find ways how to describe the less complex yet emotionally overwhelming ways we can observe in the use of social media apps.  This could be a fist step to better understand how machines in the age of AI recentralize us as human beings – or decentralize us as the contingent result of data-management.  


Gabriele Gramelsberger. 2023. Philosophie des Digitalen. Zur Einführung. Junius: Hamburg.

Sybille Krämer and Horst Bredekamp. 2013. Culture, Technology, Cultural Techniques – Moving Beyond Text. In: Theory, Culture & Society 30(6): 20-29. DOI: 10.1177/0263276413496287

Get to know our Fellows: Nathalia Lavigne

Get to know our current fellows and gain an impression of their research. In a new season of short videos, we asked them to introduce themselves, talk about their work at the KHK c:o/re and the research questions that fascinate them.

In this video, art researcher, writer and curator Nathalia Lavigne shares insights from her work on alternative networks and different models of connection in human communication. She explores what we can learn from artists and activists who are imagining alternative forms of connection and finding other ways to communicate and build communities.

Check out our media section or our YouTube channel to have a look at the other videos.

Gabriele Gramelsberger Honored With K. Jon Barwise Prize

Gabriele Gramelsberger, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Technology and Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re) at RWTH Aachen University, was awarded the K. Jon Barwise Prize 2023 by the American Philosophical Association (APA) last Thursday, January 9, 2025, in New York.

Gabriele Gramelsberger together with the philosopher Oron Shagrir, Barwise Prize winner 2024, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Amy Ferrer from the American Philosophical Association during the award ceremony.
Photo credits: American Philosophical Association

The award ceremony took place during the 121st annual meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (the APA also has Central and Western Divisions). The prize, named after the American philosopher K. Jon Barwise, has been awarded since 2002 for significant and sustained contributions to philosophy and computer science.

Gabriele Gramelsberger is the third woman to receive the K. Jon Barwise Award. In her work, she develops a conceptual framework for the Philosophy of Computational Science as well as an open science infrastructure for Computational Science Studies. In 2018, she founded the Computational Social Systems Lab in Aachen, supported by the NRW Digital Fellowship 2017. Together with her team at the KHK c:o/re, Gabriele Gramelsberger will organize the History and Philosophy of Computing conference in Aachen in December 2025.

Event Announcement: Competition Law in the Digital Era: AI and other new challenges

Professor Stefan Böschen, Director of the KHK c:o/re, and the Exploratory Research Space (ERS) of RWTH Aachen University invite you to another lecture of the “ERS invites…” series, this time featuring Dr. Pēteris Zilgalvis, Judge at the General Court of the European Union, to discuss how AI is reshaping the legal landscape from various perspectives.

AI has the potential to increase effectiveness and foster innovation in the public sector, including courts. At the same time, its development, implementation, and governance must take into account the threats it might pose to fundamental rights. Furthermore, AI has significant implications for competition law.

Dr. Pēteris Zilgalvis is a Judge on the General Court of the European Union and serves on its Management Board as well as the Artificial Intelligence Management Board of the Court of Justice of the EU. Previously, he headed the Digital Innovation and Blockchain Unit in the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Directorate and co-chaired the European Commission FinTech Task Force.

The lecture will take place on Friday, 24 January 2025, from 12 to 1.30 pm in the Generali Saal at Super C, located at Templergraben 57 in Aachen. To register and for further information, please visit the event website.

Get to know our Fellows: Grit Laudel

Get to know our current fellows and gain an impression of their research. In a new season of short videos, we asked them to introduce themselves, talk about their work at the KHK c:o/re and the research questions that fascinate them.

How do institutional research conditions such as funding, evaluation or national career systems affect the way in which researchers produce contributions to scientific knowledge? In the latest video, Grit Laudel, sociologist of science, gives insights into her work comparing research in different fields.

Check out our media section or our YouTube channel to have a look at the other videos.

European Dialogue: Freedom of Research and the Future of Europe in Times of Uncertainty

JANA HAMBITZER

During a day-long symposium, part of the Freedom of Research: A European Summit – Science in Times of Uncertainty, speakers and panelists explored various aspects of freedom of research and the future of Europe in the context of ongoing global crises and conflicts.

“We should not think that freedom is self-evident. Freedom is at danger in every moment, and it is fragile”. With these cautioning words, Prof. Dr Thomas Prefi, Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation, welcomed the participants of the symposium on freedom of research, which took place at the forum M in the city center of Aachen on November 5, 2024.

Words of Welcome by the KHK c:o/re directors Prof. Dr Gabriele Gramelsberger and Prof. Dr Stefan Böschen

As part of the Freedom of Research: A European Summit – Research in Times of Uncertainty, the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, the Knowledge Hub and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re) of RWTH Aachen University jointly provided an interdisciplinary platform to discuss the crucial role of freedom in scientific, social and political contexts concerning the future of Europe with researchers, policymakers, business representatives and the public.

The aim was to critically explore different forms and practices of implementing freedom of research in line with European principles and in support of democratic governance and societal benefits. The thematic focus of the symposium was on dealing with the numerous complex crises of our time – from military conflicts to right-wing populism – as well as addressing challenges associated with new technologies such as AI and the metaverse.

Humanity and Collaboration in the Age of Emerging Technologies

The strategic importance of freedom in fostering innovation and maintaining democratic values in a globally competitive landscape was emphasized by Wibke Reincke, Senior Director and Head of Public Policy at Novo Nordisk, and Dr Jakob Greiner, Vice President of European Affairs at Deutsche Telekom AG. From an industry perspective, both speakers underscored the need for open societies that invest in innovation to ensure the continuity and growth of democratic principles.

The emergence of the metaverse and other cutting-edge technologies were discussed by Jennifer Baker, Reporter and EU Tech Influencer 2019, Elena Bascone, Charlemagne Prize Fellow 2023/24, Nadina Iacob, Digital Economy Consultant at the World Bank, and Rebekka Weiß, LL.M., Head of Regulatory Policy, Senior Manager Government Affairs, Microsoft Germany. The panelists pointed out the essential role of human-centered approaches and international collaboration in addressing the ethical and societal challenges associated with new technologies, and in shaping the metaverse according to European ideals.

Sci-Fi Scenario Discussion “From Science Fiction to Reality? Designing a European-like Metaverse”, f.l.t.r. Rebekka Weiß, Nadina Iacob, Elena Bascone and Jennifer Baker

The inherent tension between technological progress and the preservation of research freedom was highlighted by Prof. Dr Gabriele Gramelsberger, Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re), who raised the question of how AI is changing research. Prof. Dr Holger Hoos, computer scientist at RWTH Aachen University and a leading researcher in Machine Learning, stated that publicly funded academic institutions must remain free from any influence of money and market pressure to foster cutting-edge research motivated solely by intellectual curiosity. Prof. Dr Benjamin Paaßen, Junior Professor for Knowledge Representation and Machine Learning at Bielefeld University, further argued that AI in research and education should only be used as a tool to complement human capabilities, rather than replace them.

Panel Discussion “Navigating the Ethical Landscape: AI and the Boundaries of Research Freedom”, f.l.t.r. Prof. Dr Benjamin Paaßen, Prof. Dr Holger Hoos and Prof. Dr Gabriele Gramelsberger

Conflicts over Academic Freedom and the Role of Universities

The de facto implementation of academic freedom worldwide was presented by Dr Lars Lott from the research project Academic Freedom Index at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. In a 50-year comparison, from 1973 to 2023, he illustrated a significant improvement of academic freedom in countries worldwide. However, looking from an individual perspective, the opposite is true: almost half of the world’s population lives in countries where academic freedom is severely restricted due to the rise of populist and authoritarian regimes.

Dr Dominik Brenner from the Central European University in Vienna reported firsthand on the forced relocation of the Central European University (CEU) from Budapest to Vienna and noted that such restrictions of academic freedom are an integral part of illiberal policies. Dr. Ece Cihan Ertem from the University of Vienna provided another example of increasing authoritarianism in academic institutions by discussing the suppression of academic freedom at Turkey’s Bogazici University by the government. Prof. Dr Carsten Reinhardt from Bielefeld University warned of the modern efforts in our societies to restrict academic freedom through fake news or alternative facts. From a historical perspective, these are fundamental attacks destroying the basis of truth-finding, to similar developments during the Nazi regime in Germany.

Another pressing issue, the precariousness of academic employment in Germany, was highlighted by Dr Kristin Eichhorn from the University of Stuttgart and co-founder of the #IchBinHanna initiative, protesting against academic labor reforms that disadvantage early and mid-career researchers. She pointed out that the majority of faculty work on fixed-term contracts, which significantly restricts researchers’ ability to exercise their fundamental right to academic freedom due to tendencies to suppress both structural and intellectual criticism.

Discussion on “A Look at Practice: Insights into Conflicts over Academic Freedom”, f.l.t.r. Dr Lars Lott, Dr Kristin Eichhorn and Dr Dominik Brenner

How to deal with these challenges? Prof. Dr Stefan Böschen, Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re), stressed that political assumptions and politically motivated conflicts can make academic discourse more difficult. However, it is important to foster dialogue once a common basis for discussion has been established. Frank Albrecht from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation advocated for greater efforts in science diplomacy and the vital role of academic institutions in international relations. Miranda Loli from the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies, the European University Institute in Florence, and Charlemagne Prize Fellow 2023/24, emphasized the need for universities to act as reflexive communities that engage critically with the processes that shape academic freedom while recognizing their potential as informal diplomatic actors.

Panel Discussion “Conflict in Europe’s Academic Landscape and Their Impact on Freedom of Research: What’s New About It?”, f.l.t.r. Prof Dr Carsten Reinhardt, Miranda Loli, Frank Albrecht and Prof. Dr Stefan Böschen

Research as a Basis for European Conflict Resolution

The intersection of academic freedom and conflict resolution was explored in a discussion between Dr Sven Koopmans, EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, and Drs René van der Linden, former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Dutch diplomat, moderated by Dr Mayssoun Zein Al Din, Managing Director of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy for International Politics in Bonn. They argued that research is essential for understanding and resolving global conflicts and emphasized the role of the EU as a key player in international peace efforts. The two discussed the challenges of assessing conflicts from a European perspective, particularly the differing opinions of member states, and highlighted the EU’s economic power as a crucial factor in in international peace efforts. Dr Koopmans emphasized the importance of an optimistic outlook, stating: “Let’s work on the basis – that there is a peace that we may one day achieve. It maybe sounds very difficult […], but you know: Defeat is not a strategy for success.”

Panel Discussion “Addressing Polarized Conflicts: The European Role in Conflict Resolution”, f.l.t.r. Dr Sven Koopmans, Dr Mayssoun Zein Al Din and Drs René van der Linden

The symposium underlined the critical importance of protecting freedom in research, science, and diplomacy. The discussions made clear that academic freedom is neither given nor a permanent state; rather, it requires continuous vigilance and proactive efforts to preserve. The collective message from the symposium reinforced that science in times of uncertainty can be navigated through regulation and governance for innovation, a strong European and international academic community, and independent universities as safe places to ensure the future of a democratic, secure and progressive Europe.

Photo Credits: Christian van’t Hoen

The Freedom We Stand For

RWTH KNOWLEDGE HUB

RWTH’s Freedom Late Night event brought a vibrant mix of guests to the Ludwig Forum, offering talks, discussions, performances, and entertainment that celebrated diverse perspectives on freedom.

Late Night Talk with Luca Swieter, Luise Befort and Sven Bliedung von der Heide

“Why not cook a pot of soup and share it with your neighbors?” Publicist Marina Weisband’s suggestion at RWTH’s second Late Night event was one of the many unconventional ideas presented to bridge divides within society.

Held Monday evening at the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, RWTH hosted a dynamic, entertaining, and insightful program on the theme of freedom. Moderated by journalist Claudia Kleinert and poetry slammer Luca Swieter, the event featured guests from culture, politics, sports, and academia, including Marina Weisband, actress Luise Befort, podcaster Dr. Ulf Buermeyer, former national soccer player Andreas Beck, and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s chief data analyst, Johannes Riegger.

Discussions across three stages explored freedom from sporting, cultural, scientific, philosophical, political, and social perspectives. Musical and artistic highlights included a specially choreographed performance by the dance ensemble Maureen Reeor & Company, the lively Popchorn pop choir, and the RWTH Big Band.

Throughout the evening, the unique setting of the Ludwig Forum underscored the importance of unity and the need to avoid societal divides. As Weisband noted, “With a bowl of soup in hand, engage with your neighbors to confront populist narratives together. Take the liberty to try something a bit daring now and then.”

Panel discussion on society and politics with f.l.t.r. Dr Ulf Buermeyer, Dr Domenica Dreyer-Plum, Claudia Kleinert and Marina Weisband

The complexities of today’s reality were echoed by Dr. Domenica Dreyer-Plum from RWTH’s Institute of Political Science, who observed that while many people are frustrated with the current political and social climate and are tempted to protest or support extremist parties, “the AfD only seemingly has an answer to the big questions.”

For the academic guests, discussions naturally turned to freedom in research. Professor Verena Nitsch, head of RWTH’s Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics and chair of the University’s Ethics Commission, emphasized that the Commission’s role is not to restrict research, “but to train researchers to anticipate risks”.

Panel discussion on science with Prof. Stefan Böschen, Prof. Verena Nitsch and Claudia Kleinert

“We live in times where technology is powerful, but wisdom is lacking,” added Professor Stefan Böschen, spokesperson for RWTH’s Human Technology Center and co-director of the “Cultures of Research” Käte Hamburger Center, highlighting the ethical challenges posed by AI and advanced technology.

Former judge and podcaster Dr. Ulf Buermeyer offered a practical take on restoring trust in politics: “We need substantial investment in railways and infrastructure like bridges. People need to see and feel that progress is happening. We can’t just talk our way out of this crisis.”

For actress Luise Befort (Club der roten Bänder, Der Palast), freedom is something many take for granted: “I am allowed to work in my profession – unlike so many women around the world.” Befort sees this as a profound privilege she does not take lightly.

Professional footballers, however, face a more limited kind of freedom. Johannes Riegger, chief data analyst at Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, and former national player Andreas Beck (VfB Stuttgart, Besiktas Istanbul) shared anecdotes about the intense monitoring they undergo. Beck described how their movements on the field are tracked with advanced technology, making performance data highly transparent. Yet, according to Riegger, the level of surveillance is even greater in the United States, where athletes in major leagues are subjected to round-the-clock monitoring. By comparison, the monitoring in Germany is seen as manageable and part of the job.

Panel discussion with Andreas Beck and Johannes Riegger

A diverse lineup of speakers shared their insights on freedom and technology. Among them, Luise Befort; queer artist Lukas Moll, who warned that “technology can discriminate, and algorithms can reinforce stereotypes”; Frank Albrecht of the Humboldt Foundation, who reflected on “the privilege of living in a country like Germany, where academic freedom is highly valued”; screenwriter Jana Forkel, who said, “When it comes to creative work like screenwriting, AI poses no threat yet – this is where human input remains essential”; Volucap CEO Sven Bliedung von der Heide, who noted, “At Volucap, we’re pioneering new possibilities in film production, though our goal isn’t to replace actors entirely”; and author Betül Hisim, who observed, “AI can be a source of inspiration but is far from replacing the essence of what makes us human.”

The RWTH Late Night event was organized by the RWTH Knowledge Hub as part of the Freedom of Research Summit, a collaboration between the Stiftung Internationaler Karlspreis zu Aachen, the Knowledge Hub, and the Cultures of Research Käte Hamburger Center.

The RWTH Knowledge Hub is a vital instrument for transferring knowledge to society. “Knowledge isn’t only created at RWTH; it’s essential that we also share it with society – as we are doing tonight with the Late Night,” said Professor Matthias Wessling, Vice-Rector for Research Transfer at RWTH.

Vice-Rector for Research and Structure at RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Matthias Weßling

Despite their diverse perspectives, all the speakers agreed on one message: that freedom and democratic values require active effort. To quote Goethe: “This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew.”

Photo Credits: Christian van’t Hoen

Special Issue: From Automation to Autonomy: Human Machine Relations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Together with Frank Piller (RWTH Aachen University), Caja Thimm and Maximilian Mayer (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn), KHK c:o/re director Gabriele Gramelsberger co-edited a special issue of the journal “Human Machine Communications” on the shift from automation to autonomy. The guest-edited issue just appeared online.

As machines today gain capabilities that resemble autonomous agency (think of AI agents, for example), the line between human and machine autonomy is blurring, challenging traditional concepts of agency, control, and independence.

In this special issue, the authors explore the complexities of attributing autonomy to machines and AI systems. Philosophical, sociological, and technical approaches converge to explore how emerging forms of machine autonomy impact human agency, freedom, and decision-making, with applications ranging from autonomous vehicles to digital assistants and military drones.

The central topic is the growing tension between viewing autonomy as a positive attribute and the concerns about diminishing human authority in the face of increasingly independent technologies.

In the opening essay, the authors ask for an integrated understanding of autonomy as both an individual and collective construct, reflecting the highly complex and quickly evolving nature of current societal, ethical, and technological challenges.

You can find the paper on this website, the full issue follwing this link.

After Memory: Recalling and Foretelling across Time, Space, and Networks

NATHALIA LAVIGNE

AFTER MEMORY: An introduction about the long-term project co-developed by KHK c:o/re Junior Fellow Nathalia Lavigne, followed by a brief report about the symposium which took place last October in Karlsruhe, gathering specialists from arts, science and technology discussing the temporal, spatial, and social dimensions of digital memory in current times.

What comes after memory? I came across this question in one of the first drafts of the project AFTER MEMORY, developed together with the researchers Lisa Deml and Víctor Fancelli, while writing the opening remarks for the symposium AFTER MEMORY: Recalling and Foretelling across Time, Space, and Networks. The event took place in October (between 23rd and the 26th) at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media and at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG), in Karlsruhe. During three and a half days, we had the chance to speculate about the temporal, spatial, and social dimensions of digital memory in an intense and vivid program – the first stage of this long-term project, which will continue in the following years with an exhibition and other formats.

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Nathalia Lavigne

Nathalia Lavigne [she/her] works as an art researcher, writer and curator. Her research interests involve topics such as social documentation and circulation of images on social networks, cultural criticism, museum and media studies and art and technology.

This initial question still resonates, even if it’s hard to figure out any answer. Maybe it should be asked in a different way. It’s hard to imagine what is coming after memory since afterness is what has been lacking in recent times. Trapped, as we are, in an endless present, experiencing time perception obliterated by information overload, it is hard to find any sort of escape room that allows us to imagine what is about to come.

If modernism was marked by the ‘present future’ and many futuristic utopias, the end of the Cold War changed this perspective, when focus shifted to a ‘present past’ (Huyssen 2000). From autobiographies to the creation of different kinds of museums, from the emergence of new historiographical narratives to the reinvention of traditions, memory has become a trivial word, counted in the form of increasingly unlimited bytes. More recently, with the instantaneous mediation of reality and new archiving formats created by anyone, the goal of ‘total remembrance’, as Andreas Huyssen defined, has become unquestionable – although increasingly unattainable.

Different from other historical moments, we seem to be stuck in the present now. In a way, it shouldn’t be so bad: this is, after all, the only temporal condition that we can know. It’s in the present when memories are constantly updated; when we conceive in our imagination what is about to come. There are probably positive effects of changing the focus of the so-evoked future or past, as we did other times, and which have diverted our attention from what is happening now. But this is not what we can say based on our experience of being constantly “stuck on the platform”, to borrow the title of Geert Lovink’s recent book. If we have reached the end of “an era of possibilities and speculation”, as he affirms, what is the emergency exit for this reality in which platforms have closed any chance of collective imagination (p.42)?

If temporal fragmentation is far from a new thing, it is hard to deny that the internet complex (Crary, 2022) has made this feeling stronger. While our lives are displayed to us as thematic galleries assembled by automated digital systems whose rules we are unaware of, what happens in the present remains indecipherable and imperceptible. And especially under the circumstances imposed by the Covid-19, when the immersive experience of screens became the default perception, this effect was even stronger.

Needless to say that many of the ideas behind After Memory have their roots in what we lived during the pandemic, when most of us have experienced some episode of memory blur or digital amnesia. Although the impact of Covid-19 in our cognitive system is still unclear, recent studies reveal deficits in the performance of people a year or more after infection. Even the lockdown itself left marks, too, since spatial memory is essential in how we recollect events. And if time perception was especially obliterated during the pandemic, this feeling is inseparable from the well-known time-space compression, which was always related with capitalist expansion (Harvey 2012).But how different is this process nowadays, when the rise of generative AI, for instance, has created a new understanding about memory, making us confront a past that never really existed, as Andrew Hoskins has recently pointed out.

Endless Instants: The Digital Now As a Buffering Circle, Moderated by Inge Hinterwaldner and Víctor Fancelli Capdevila
Photo Credits: Markus Breigt, KIT

Unmapping Landscapes, Endless Instants and Speculative (off-line) Networks

From some of these ideas, we developed the structure of After Memory’s symposium in three sections, each investigating an essential aspect of the conception and actualisation of memory: space (Unmapping Landscapes), time (Endless Instants), and communication (Speculative Networks). Dedicated to one of these specific programs, each day started with a workshop, which took place in a post-war modernist pavilion with glass walls and surrounded by a garden. Blankets on the floor invited participants to sit in a circle, or eventually to lie down as they saw fit. In some cases, the activities were interspersed with moments of meditation – either guided by sound or followed by a breathing  technique such as Pranayama. In the end, we noticed how these morning sections played an important role in how the participants connected to each other, being more open to elaborate new ideas in a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

Unmapping Landscapes: Of Ruins and Repositories, Moderated by Lisa Deml
Photo Credits: Markus Breigt, KIT

When we were first offered this venue for hosting the workshops, the fact that there was no internet available was initially a concern. A wifi connection could be required in some activities, especially considering that networks and the digital sphere were some of the umbrella terms of the program. But we decided to keep the Pavilion in spite of that. On a more individual note, I am tempted to think that this was actually a reason which helped people to build connections that would continue beyond that moment. After this experience, I was more convinced to agree with the bold statement of Johnathan Crary in the opening of Scorched Earth – Beyond the Digital Age to a Post-Capitalist World: “If there is to be a liveable and shared future on our planet it will be a future offline, uncoupled from the world-destroying systems and operations of 24/7 capitalism” (2022, p.1).

In recent decades, social media has interwoven itself into the art system. Although the potential of the visual art field for creating connections has been present before the rise of these platforms, their constant use has made it nearly impossible for artists, cultural institutions, or the audience to avoid them, even as the controversies around how these platforms operate became more evident. In a moment when we have been talking about the end of a fantasy that Web 2.0 would be a democratic environment, especially due the problematic ties between platforms and authoritarian populism, it is crucial to imagine alternative ways of connecting which do not depend exclusively on them.

Speculative Networks: Reimagining Connections, Moderated by Nathalia Lavigne
Photo Credits: Markus Breigt, KIT

During my fellowship at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg: Cultures of Research (c:o/re), I am interested in mapping how artists have been developing disruptive and speculative forms of networks from the mid-1990s to the present, but also, as a curator, in helping to implement projects that can contribute to generating new communications systems.

And if it is still not clear what comes after memory, or when, it seems important to experience these enquiries together, enabling memories to be updated more deeply through different understandings about time, space and, especially, communication.

Further reading and references:

Crary, Jonathan. 2022. Scorched earth: Beyond the digital age to a post-capitalist world. Verso Books: New York.

Harvey, David. 2012. “From space to place and back again: Reflections on the condition of postmodernity.” In: Mapping the futures, edited by John Bird, Barry Curtis, Tim Putnam and Lisa Tickner. Routledge: London, pp. 2-29.

Hoskins, Andrew. 2024. “AI and memory.” In: Memory, Mind & Media 3: e18.

Huyssen, Andreas. 2000. “En busca del tiempo futuro.” In: revista Puentes 1.2, pp. 12-29.

Lovink, Geert, et al. 2022. Extinction internet: our inconvenient truth moment. Institute of Network Cultures: Amsterdam.