Kick-Off of the S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o Residency Program at TUD Dresden University of Technology

Since 2024, the TUD Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific and Art Collections (Kustodie) has been a partner of the S+T+ARTS initiative (Science, Technology, and Arts) and, alongside Ars Electronica (AT), INOVA+ (PT), La French Tech Grande Provence (FR), Media Solution Center Baden-Württemberg (DE), Salzburg Festival (AT), Sónar (ES), and T6 Ecosystems (IT), is part of the consortium. The Kustodie hosts three of the total of ten S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o residencies, allowing international artists to immerse themselves for 13 months in the diverse institutional research landscape and explore the interfaces of art, science, research, and cutting-edge technologies.
From December 4-6, the kick-off event of the S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o Residency Program took place at TUD. The nominated artists, guest institutions, members of the S+T+ARTS community, and researchers from TUD jointly celebrated the program's launch, accompanied by workshops, discussions, exhibition visits, and lectures.
We are thrilled to have nominated three internationally successful and innovative artists – Theda Nilsson-Eicke, Johanna Bruckner, and Carolyn Kirschner – for the S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o Residencies at TUD!

Theda Nilsson Eicke
The Berlin-based theater director, author, and artist Theda Nilsson-Eicke was selected for Challenge 1 on the theme 'Modelling the Mind.' Theda Nilsson-Eicke works at the interfaces of theater, visual arts, and performance, and also teaches as an Assistant Professor at the University of Fine Arts (HfBK) Dresden. As part of the S+T+ARTS Residency, she works on a project titled 'Thrown into This World'.

Johanna Bruckner
The internationally successful artist Johanna Bruckner was nominated for Challenge 2 on the theme "Exploring Human – AI Relationships." Her work is characterized by a multimedia approach, where the performativity of the human body plays a central role. In her installations, which formally combine technological machinery and organic bodies, videos generated with computer graphics software regularly appear, accompanied by sound compositions. The artist explores themes of biopolitics, feminism, queer theory, and posthumanism.

Carolyn Kirschner
The London-based designer and researcher Carolyn Kirschner was nominated for Challenge 3 on the theme 'Physics of Life.' Her work explores the growing entanglements of humans, ecologies, and machines, using design as an investigative method to materialize fragments from alternative or extended worlds.

Project team TUD:
Kirsten Vincenz (Director Kustodie, TUD)
Jun.-Prof. Matthew McGinity (Junior Professor for Immersive Media Design)
Gwendolin Kremer (Scientific Associate Kustodie / Curator of Artistic Fellowship Programs)
Pauline Hohn (Curatorial Assistant, Artistic Fellowship Programs)