Overwriting Berlin: Utopian Futures

#performance #urbanspace

Explore Berlin’s future and create an immersive audio walk set in 2525. This hands-on workshop blends sci-fi and social theory, reimagining the city through themes like AI, climate crisis and utopian vs. dystopian futures.

The workshop "Overwriting Berlin: Utopian Futures" merges science fiction, political and social theory, and interdisciplinary practices to reimagine Berlin as a speculative future city. Participants will engage with both contemporary and futuristic concepts, using the medium of audio walks to create an immersive experience that provokes reflection on pressing global issues and possible utopian futures.

In this hands-on, week-long workshop, participants will explore speculative futures through the genre of science fiction, particularly the works of Isaac Asimov and the sub-genre of time travel. Participants will juxtapose these fictional narratives with contemporary political and sociological discourses, ranging from the ethics of robotics and AI to climate change and political structures. Participants will collaborate across disciplines to create an audio walk that transports listeners to Berlin in 2525. They will be introduced to the practical tools and techniques for creating audio walks. Using Silent Disco headphones, they will learn how to map narratives onto urban spaces. The majority of the week will be dedicated to hands-on work. Participants will record, edit and integrate sound elements to create their audio walks, experimenting with storytelling, spatiality and speculative elements.
This workshop invites a wide range of participants including audio artists, performers, writers, theatre makers, scholars, scientists and artists from all disciplines. Participants will benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration, expanding their practice and thinking while working in teams with different expertise and perspectives.

Schedule

Day 1: Introduction & Context Building
Morning
• Workshop Introduction & Objectives: Overview of workshop goals, expected outcomes, and introduction to the theme of speculative futures in Berlin.
• Lecture & Discussion on Utopian Futures: Introduction to speculative fiction’s role in societal critique, focusing on science fiction authors like Isaac Asimov, time travel narratives, and their connections to sociopolitical themes.
• Talk on Contemporary Issues in Political and Social Theory: Examine the ethics of AI, robotics, climate change, and political structures as they relate to speculative futures.
Afternoon
• Introduction to Audio Walks & Spatial Storytelling: Basics of designing narrative experiences in physical space, with examples of successful audio walks and immersive sound experiences.
• Practical Session: Introduction to Equipment: Hands-on session with Silent Disco headphones, recording tools, and mapping technology.

Day 2: Concept Development & Site Exploration
Morning
• Ideation Session: Imagining Berlin 2525: Collaborative brainstorming session for conceptualizing the future Berlin, with an emphasis on utopian and dystopian elements.
• Group Formation & Concept Refinement: Participants form small teams based on shared interests and complementary skills, then refine ideas for each group’s audio walk.
Afternoon
• Workshop on Audio Recording Techniques: Techniques for capturing high-quality sounds, layering ambient audio, and using soundscapes to enhance storytelling.
• Field Exploration: Scouting Locations: Small groups explore different urban sites in Berlin, identifying locations that align with their narrative visions and noting environmental sounds and atmospheres.

Day 3: Story Development, Audio Recording & Editing
Morning
• Mapping Narratives to Spaces: Teams begin drafting spatial storyboards, planning how their narratives will interact with the selected locations.
• Audio Editing Workshop: Introduction to editing software, layering sound, and structuring an audio walk. Teams work on editing their recorded audio to shape a coherent narrative.
Afternoon
• Writing & Sound Design Session: Teams script key elements of their narratives and identify sound elements that will bring them to life. This includes selecting voice, ambient sounds, and potential music.
• Recording & Collection Session: Teams collect additional audio material onsite, including narrative segments, ambient sounds, and initial interactions with chosen urban settings.

Day 4: Audio Recording, Editing & Integration
• Technical Support & Problem-Solving: Instructors provide support on specific technical issues as teams continue editing.
• Integrating Audio with Physical Spaces: Teams test their initial audio drafts in the field, making adjustments to timing, spatial cues, and sound balance to ensure an immersive experience.

Day 5: Final Edits & Public Presentation
Morning
• Final Touches & Testing: Last round of edits and testing in the field. Teams ensure all technical aspects are functioning smoothly and narratives are immersive and cohesive.
Afternoon
• Public Presentation & Guided Audio Walks (2 hrs): Presenting the audio walk to the public
• Reflection & Wrap-Up Discussion: Participants share insights from the workshop, reflecting on interdisciplinary collaboration, speculative futures, and the potential of audio walks as a medium.

Stefan Mießeler

Since 2013, Stefan Mießeler has been working as a workshop instructor, theatre teacher and director in various contexts with professional and non-professional actors and artists of all ages. Mießeler combines a performance art approach with biographical narratives, experimental settings with social and political discourses. As instructor and artistic director, Mießeler has worked on behalf of the Udk in the International Summer School Programs of the DAAD. In 2022 he created an audio- walk with students in Ulaanbaatar; a utopian transformation of the city that ended on top of a skyscraper.

www.miesseler.org

www.dt-kollekiv.de