Seminars
Mindwandering, Boredom and the Arts
Through an interdisciplinary methodology inspired by the cognitive sciences, this course examined the development of one of the most fascinating emotional states: boredom. Students were guided through a series of experiments and discussions to explore how to be inspired by boredom, to inspire mind-wanderings, and celebrate the “not being in the moment.” This course was designed with digital designers and experimental film makers in mind to consider how introspection (tuning in) could induce creative outputs (i.e. interactive designs in VR/AR environments, digital interface design, and film production).
Taught at Berlin University of the Arts (2017) and adapted for architecture students at Southern California Institute of Architecture (2018)
Detailed course description for Berlin University of the Arts
Examining the Edge: peripheries in the mind and the city
“Living on the edge” – when we think of spaces we tend to think of the space within, leaving the edges, the peripheries, where instability festers and sprawls out, for the rebellious, the adventurous. In cities, living at the periphery signifies both being an insider, a city dweller, but also an outsider; not fitting inside for various economic, social or other reasons and therefore resigned to the edge - or on the opposite, explicitly choosen to live there. For the brain, the edge represents the grey matter – the cortex – where higher mental processing takes place. This mental space is susceptible to being molded dynamically by inner thoughts and external stimuli. Accordingly, within this seminar students were guided to think about the peripheries both from the perspective of the tangible and intangible, and thus exploring the intersection between mind and space.
This seminar culminated in a “Habitability Salon” and exhibition at the Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin. Also a co-edited publication with Prof. Nina Fischer bringing together the Mindwandering and Examining the Edge seminars at the Berlin University of the Arts.
Creating Madness
Following requests from several students at Berlin University of the Arts, I decided to develop an interdisciplinary seminar “Creating Madness” which brought together my expertise from empirically examining narcissism during my PhD together with the literature and practices from cybernetics and the arts respectively. “Creating Madness: in minds, machines and culture” was the first part of this year long exploration into examining the construct of madness through the narratives of culture, technology and the cognitive sciences. It continued onto the the second term with “Creating (More) Madness” where we explored themes related to altered states of mind and embodied practices. As part of the seminar, I organized a symposium to showcase the artworks of the students and give them the opportunity to engage in critical discussion with the public.
Invited Talks
2024
upcoming
Cognitive Futures in the Arts and Humanities, invited to give Intimacy Workshop, Catania, IT
past
American Society for Aesthetics Pacific Meeting, invited commentator, Berkeley, CA
Ideas on Consciousness: Psychology and Philosophy of Creativity, Panel speaker, UC Berkeley, CA
2022
International Society for Research on Emotions (ISRE) , invited oral presentation, Los Angeles, CA
2021
James Turrell Chapel at Dorotheenstädtischer cemetery, Public Lecture “Exploring the X: James Turrell through the lens of Science”, Berlin, DE
2020
Science of Intelligence , Panel Speaker, Berlin, DE
2019
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) - Center for Integrated Media, Visiting Artist, Valencia, CA
2018
Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art, Speaker, Berlin, DE
“Watch your Bubble” Interdisciplinary Art & Science Conference, Invited to give Intimacy Workshop, Berlin, DE
University of California, Santa Barbara - META Lab, invited Speaker, Santa Barbara, CA
2017
Kunsthochschule Kassel - Virtual Reality and Visual Arts department, invited to give Intimacy Workshop, Kassel, DE
Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) - Fine Arts and Media department, public lecture and invited to give Intimacy Workshop, Zurich, CH
“Meet the Young Researchers” State Festival for Art and Science, invited Speaker, Berlin, DE