Journal

After the conference

A few programmes and nametags (with pre-printed pronoun options) arranged on a desk with some pencils

And the conference is over. I wish I had found the time to take more pictures of all the signs and other print products and decorations we made for the conference besides pink and purple paper puffs, but I was too busy.

You can have a look at the conference program if you want to know more about the conference topics and exhibitions.

The image above shows some of the print products we made for the conference, in our continuous effort to make it feel less like a stuffy academic event and more like a space for exchange, curiosity and experimentation.

Turns out organizing a conference with loads of experimental features and events (such as a sound performance installation and an art exhibition) is even more work than organizing a “regular” academic conference. But it was definitely worth the extra effort.

It was a wonderful event and we got lots of positive feedback from everyone attending!

New Poster!

Tables in a lecture room with posters for the Changing Worlds Conference
Look what just came from the printers!

New conference year, new poster! It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but somehow printed artifacts make a project or event feel “more real”.

We went with a similar style as for the last conference, but this time I chose to do a digital illustration since that makes the individual elements reusable.

The main idea is the same as for the first conference poster in 2014, but our choice of artifacts reflects that this instalment of the conference focuses more on art and activism. While both the artwork and topic of the first conference were leaning more towards historical reflections, this year’s vibe is both a bit dystopian and very playful.

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Changing Worlds?

The poster for the first Changing Worlds Conference is off to the printers!

Poster for the Changing Worlds Conference 2014. On a white Background, 3 views of planet earth are in the bottom left corner. Together they show a full world map. A lot of cultural and technical artifacts grow out of the worlds. On top we have a billboard with the conference title, the contact details are in the bottom right corner.
The pencil sketch became a full poster.

With this poster I wanted to illustrate the multiplicity of human experiences that is also the basis for the name of the conference, ”Changing Worlds”.

We are used to seeing maps of the world centering (and disproportionately enlarging) Europe and North America. So the first decision we made when we decided to put a globe on the poster was to duplicate it to feature all continents.It was very interesting since deviating from the image most people are used to is confusing at first. The 3 globes also appear in different styles, highlighting that maps are always purpose-driven rather than neutral objects.

Continue reading…

poster to be

The picture shows a close up of my drawing table with a piece of paper and several pencils, erasers and tools. The part of the pencil drawing that is in focus shows 3 different globe-style views of the planet earth with various technical artifacts arranged around them.

This will be the poster for a conference I’m organizing with a few fellow students.

We have started organizing a conference at the department of Science and Technology Studies. The idea is to bring together researchers, artists, and other people interested in how humans interact with technology.

The conference itself will be an experiment: We want to bring together academics and non-academics, creating a unique space for exchange. We want to explore the limits of what an academic conference can be, and invite people who would not usually attend events at an university.

We have decided early on that in order to reach a wider audience, our conference has to look good. And this includes having a proper logo and overall design – which I am responsible for.

I decided to go for an analog illustration and color it digitally later. Above you can see an early stage of the illustration before being scanned.

Pixel town is growing.

The image shows a pixel illustration of a dark cave with a DJ-set, lights and disco balls.
progress: disco cave
The picture shows a close up of some underground infrastructure such as elevators and wastewater lines in the pixel illustration.
progress: infrastructure and elevator shaft

I seem to like pixel drawings. Initially, a friend asked me to draw a little skyline for the header of his new website. Then I just went on and on … you know how it goes.

In the last pixel post, I wrote that the cave was supposed to become a cinema. But as it evolved, it became some sort of an underground party location.

Now it’s huge and the file has 130 layers prepared for all sorts of weird animations that might or might not actually work at some point. But still no elder gods …

Close up of the empty cave before the disco infrastructure was added.
And before the disco cave was added