The Schaufler Kolleg training program
The Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden began its second phase (2024-2027) with bi-weekly seminars focused on the theme Data↔Worlds. Led by Dr. Eylül Isçen, Prof. Dr. Orit Halpern, and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Moritz Ingwersen, these thematically clustered seminars aimed to create an interdisciplinary research setting where the PhD students explore the dynamic relationship between data and worlds. The extensive bibliography supported a critical examination of the material and sociocultural infrastructures of contemporary data practices and environments.
Some key questions we addressed include: How do the historical roots of 'datafication,' from the rise of statistics to colonial biopolitics, shape current data applications? How do recent large-scale, data-driven technologies promote new planetary experiments and futures while posing additional challenges? And how is the growing impact of data transforming the ways in which we produce and share knowledge? The doctoral students of the Schaufler Kolleg, along with the Schaufler residency artist Lena von Goedeke, brought their diverse research backgrounds and interests, adding depth and variety to the discussions. Notable highlights were a visit to the Berlin studio of Lena von Goedeke and an excursion to the German Center for Astrophysics in Görlitz, where scholarly exchanges evolved into hands-on, collaborative experiences.
The seminar program and bibliography are available here.