On Thursday, July 30, the WittenLab. Media Lab invites you to the opening ceremony for its new space in U.003 in the Holzgebäude, followed by an art exhibition.
What is the WittenLab. Media Lab?
The WittenLab. Media Lab provides the technical infrastructure for media-supported teaching, research, and artistic projects within the Studium Fundamentale program. It is overseen by the Chair of Digital Arts and Cultural Mediation.
The Program
The opening begins at 5:00 p.m. with opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Renate Buschmann, who will introduce the WittenLab. Media Lab, which is based at her department. This will be followed by remarks from Alissa Krusch (Kulturforum Witten) on the “No End to the Road” fellowship program, which supports artists from North Rhine-Westphalia for one year to work in Witten and carry out digitization-related projects. The current fellows are Nicolas Berge, Lenia Friedrich, Meret König, Lennart Miketta, Lex Rütten, and Darius Tödtmann.
A selection of their media-related works—created in collaboration between the university and their cohort in the “No End to the Road” fellowship program organized by the Kulturforum Witten—will be displayed on the new equipment at the WittenLab Media Lab. Dr. Regine Ehleiter, a research associate at the Chair of Digital Arts and Cultural Mediation, will provide an introduction to the exhibition.
The Exhibition
The exhibition is titled “Ideal Habitat” and explores the conditions of digital work in the face of multiple crises and transformations of the present. What kind of environment, spaces, and equipment does digital teaching in the Studium Fundamentale require to prepare students for a rapidly changing, digitized world of work? The fellowship itself also raises the question of the ideal environment and the conditions that enable artists to productively develop their artistic work through exchange with Witten’s cultural scene and scholars at Witten/Herdecke University.
Furthermore, the concept of “habitat”—a term used primarily in biology that refers to a specific area of residence or living space—raises questions about coexistence in an era of planetary crises and the threat of ecological collapse. The fellows’ artistic works invite viewers to adopt unfamiliar perspectives and to reflect on intergenerational alliances as well as new forms of coexistence that no longer focus solely on human needs.
The event is organized by Prof. Dr. Renate Buschmann and Dr. Regine Ehleiter. It is open to the public and free of charge; all interested parties are cordially invited.
Further Information
Starting in the 2026/27 winter semester, the WittenLab Media Lab will be available to WittenLab staff as well as internal and external instructors of the Studium Fundamentale program . Further information can be found online.
The “No End to the Road” fellowship program is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Cologne Game Lab is a cooperation partner.