FERTILE VOID Installations

In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut's Studio Quantum Artist-in-Residence programme, five artists working across different mediums will showcase work in Haus der Kulturen der Welt during Berlin Science Week.  

kennedy+swan (Berlin), Amy Karle (San Francisco), Edy Fung (Stockholm/Belfast) and Ìfẹ́olúwa Ọ̀ṣúnkọ́yà (Lagos) will, for the first time, present work created as part of their Studio Quantum residencies. Visitors are invited to delve into the world of quantum technologies through sound installations, VR experiences and visual art.  

Explore the installations in the Sylvia Wynter Foyer of  HKW during the general opening hours: Monday - Wednesday - 12PM - 7PM with longer opening hours on event days. Free entry on Monday and on the first Sunday of the month.  

ABOUT

As quantum science begins to emerge as a palpable reality through quantum technologies, the question of  what is lost and what is gained in translations between theory and practice becomes central. In addition to these installations, Fertile Void seeks to map out synergies between sciences, cultures, and the arts, as well as longer standing cosmologies on the creation of living matter in all forms during an event series from 1-3 November. 

The detailed programme featuring panel discussions, workshops and artist performances can be found on the HKW and the Studio Quantum websites.

FIND OUT MORE

Day 1 / Day 2 /  Day 3 

ARTISTS

kennedy+swan (founded in 2013) comprises the work of the two artists Bianca Kennedy and Swan Collective. When working together, they explore the future of non-human intelligence and its impact on plants, animals, machines, and humans. These utopias are liberated from human supremacy, illuminating the ecological benefits of hybrid life forms, and addressing the twisted relationship between humans and biotechnology. For their videos, VR, and AR installations, the duo employs a variety of animation techniques: drawings, stereoscopic film footage, 3D-scanned landscapes, and self-built characters create a dense network of analog and digital imagery.  

Amy Karle (b. 1980 NY, USA) is an internationally acclaimed ultra-contemporary artist, designer, and futurist, specializing in emerging and exponential technologies’ impact on humanity and the future. Her work has been exhibited globally, including at Ars Electronica, Centre Pompidou, Mori Art Museum, The Smithsonian, and Triennale Milano. Regularly invited to share her insights as a speaker and in think tanks worldwide, Karle was an Artist Diplomat for the U.S. Department of State, received the Pioneer in Design award, and was named one of BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world. 

Edy Fung is an artist whose practice responds to human and technological conditions from post-cybernetic perspectives. She is a graduate from the Royal College of Art London, a visiting researcher at SARC Belfast 2019-2020 and resident composer at the Elektronmusikstudion EMS Stockholm since 2023.

Ìfẹ́olúwa Ọ̀ṣúnkọ́yà, Ife, or "Skodo-Lee" as he is called by friends, is a creative technologist, XR, and 3D environment artist. He is a designer based in the cities of Lagos and Ibadan whose works revolve around innovation, immersion, space and visual storytelling, using whatever tool he has at hand. A constant source of inspiration for him is the bustle of the city and the tension between the past and the future   

Studio Quantum is an international events and artist-in-residence programme from the Goethe-Institut, exploring emerging quantum technologies through the lens of art. Artistic explorations of the synergies between art and technology as well as impressions and learnings from the international residencies are an integral part of the showcased works.

Fertile Void is a cooperation between Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) and the Goethe-Institut Irland / Studio Quantum, with contributions from the JUNGE AKADEMIE of the Akademie der Künste,  Schering Stiftung, Universität der Künste, Berlin and Trinity College Dublin. The project is part of Berlin Science Week. With thanks to Quantum Delta, ZKM, ITAS (KIT), Science Gallery London, King's College and Zeitgeist Irland 24, an initiative of Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany. 

WITH

manuel arturo abreu, Chloé Delarue, Linda Doyle, Ale de la Puente, Fehdah, Edy Fung, John Goold, Clara Hermann, Gesche Joost, Amy Karle, kennedy + swan, Afra Khan, Radmila Lorencová, Tina Lorenz, Alexandra Martens-Serrano, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, David Odiase, Ìfẹ́olúwa Ọ̀ṣúnkọ́yà, Natalie Paneng, Constanza Piña Pardo, Sarah Selby, Paola Torres Núñez del Prado, Radek Trnka, Michaela Vieser, Riche-Mike Wellington 

HKW is accessible via the barrier-free, step-free Itō Noe Entrance located off John-Foster-Dulles-Allee. Two other barrier-free entrances are located on the east side of the building and on the Spree side of the building. There are also automatic doors located on the Spree side of the building.