FORUM Closing: A Séance for Science in an Era of Techno-Spiritualism

Closing the FORUM: Day 3 – Belonging

We are delighted to conclude the Berlin Science Week 2025 FORUM with a special closing performance, a Séance of Science in an Era of Techno-Spiritualism, presented by the ART+SCIENCE SALON in collaboration with the Jazz Institute (UdK).

Part debate, part performance, part speculative theatre: As the FORUM draws to a close, this event invites audiences into a room where the line between science and belief begins to shimmer. Framed as a séance for the 21st century, our "mediums" convene a live conversation between a panel of invited experts, who will collectively confront the myths, metaphors, and manipulations shaping our current age of techno-spiritualism. The séance becomes both format and method: conjuring up the ghostly returns of past ideologies and playfully questioning how new technology becomes spiritualised in times of uncertainty. By blending historical and contemporary sources with a participatory format, we will engage with the now ubiquitous adoption of AI by society, investigate how quantum theory in art reflects ancient spiritual tendencies, and question the displacement of nature/the post-human in the emerging picture of our new world.

This is not a panel. It is not a lecture. It is a collective investigation into the cognitive and cultural landscapes of belief, hosted by the ART+SCIENCE SALON.

The evening opens with a few words from Christian Rauch, Festival Director, before dissolving into the séance, carried by live music from students of the Jazz Institute at the Universität der Künste Berlin.

Note: Our reserved seats have now all been taken – thank you for the great interest! But not to worry: we always keep a number of seats available for spontaneous guests. So even without a reservation, you’re very welcome to come along. And if you’d like to be notified when a spot opens up, you can sign up for our waiting list.