Electric Feelings Exhibition

As part of the Next Level Festival, the Digital Coproduction Lab (KoLab) is presenting the exhibition "Electric Feelings", with projects at the interface of art, technology and society. For three days, up-and-coming artists will present works in the KoLab space that make interactivity tangible as a dialog between man and machine. The exhibition was preceded by an open call in which works by digital artists from Dortmund, the Ruhr region and NRW were selected. Submissions included interactive installations, games, web-based projects, AR and VR experiences that invite visitors to help shape and think.

The exhibition will open on Friday at 7:30 pm. Enjoy the exhibition with a cold drink and network with other creatives and cultural professionals.

Date: 14.11.25 19:30 - 24:00, 15.11.25 12:00 - 18:00, 16.11.25 12:00 - 18:00

Location: Digital co-production lab

Electric Feelings Exhibition Artist Talk

In the Artist Talk, the digital artists will explain their works exhibited in the co-production lab (KoLab). The artists explore how digital systems shape our perceptions and feelings. Their interactive installations, games and XR experiences invite visitors to actively enter into a dialog with technology - through movement, decision and resonance.

We would like to discuss the following questions together:

What does interaction with machines feel like?

How is the digital changing our ideas of creativity, control and relationship?

Date: 14.11.25, 20:30 - 21:00

Location: Digital co-production lab

KoLab Days workshop series: Electric feelings

As part of the Next Level Festival and inspired by the theme: Under the motto "Electronic Feelings", we will make the invisible processes between man and machine tangible in this four-part workshop series. We follow a path of artistic transformation: abstract data becomes soundscapes, sounds become tangible 3D forms and in the end everything merges into an audiovisual, collaborative performance. Discover with us how a signal becomes a joint artistic statement.

Participation is possible in every workshop, even without attending the other workshops! It is also possible to attend all workshops one after the other.

Make Noise With Data Workshop - Computers have feelings too

Give your computer a voice! Network streams, signal transmissions, computing processes - we are surrounded everywhere by data, vibrations and algorithms that determine our lives.

Make these invisible processes audible, use them creatively and show that computers are alive. In this workshop, we will experiment with various hardware and software tools and create digital soundscapes together!

In the other KoLab Days workshops, we will translate these soundscapes into 3D models and finally bring everything together in a joint jam session.

No previous knowledge is necessary. Participation is also possible independently of the other workshops.

Please bring your own:

Hardware: laptop, headphones. If you have your own sound interface, you are also welcome to bring this.

Software: An installed Max/MSP or Ableton with Max for Live is recommended (demo also possible). If you want to use other audio software (Audacity, Reaper, Logic, Pure Data, etc.), you can also use these.

Date: 14.11.25 - 14:00-16:30

Location: Digital co-production lab

Registration: kolab.nrw

Number of participants: max. 10

Form and Feeling - VR Sculpting Workshop

We create abstract 3D sculptures with VR glasses and Adobe Medium. The starting point is the sound from the previous workshop

- we are inspired by soundscapes and translate them into virtual forms. A creative workshop between music, virtual space and sculpture.

In the workshop you will learn the basics of VR sculpting: How to shape virtual objects and use all the necessary tools. Step by step, we will build individual sculptures that are created directly in the VR environment. At the end, we will present the results together in the KoLab and pass on the finished objects to the Mind-Loops - Audioreactive Visuals in Blender workshop. Participation is also possible independently of the other workshops.

Date: 14.11.25 - 17:00- 19:00

Location: Digital coproduction lab

Registration: kolab.nrw

Number of participants: max. 8

Mind-Loops - Audio-reactive visuals in Blender Workshop

As part of the KoLab Days at Dortmunder U, we will create audioreactive loopable animations in Blender. We will combine the results from the Sound Design and VR Sculpting workshops and breathe audioreactive life into them. We manipulate sound data and experiment with how it harmonizes with animation, materials and light. We ensure that our animation is loopable and can be repeated infinitely in accordance with the algorithm. We then go on the hunt for the optimal render settings between efficiency and quality - and get the maximum out of our renders in post-production. The workshop offers a lot of potential, but does not require advanced knowledge of Blender. A basic understanding of navigation is helpful. Participation is also possible independently of the other workshops.

Date: 15.11.25 - 12:00- 15:00

Location: Digital co-production lab

Registration: kolab.nrw

Number of participants: max. 12

Connecting Signals - Workshop for audiovisual live improvisation

In the final workshop of our KoLab Days series, the focus is on audiovisual improvisation and performance. The focus is on the direct interplay and interaction between the performers.

We will deal with practical concepts and techniques of improvisation and explore the following questions: What role does the coming together of many disciplines on one stage play? How do we find a common audiovisual interplay? And what forms of communication can emerge live on stage?

The aim of the workshop is to develop short, improvised performances in small groups, which will then be performed as part of the Next Level Festival. To this end, we will carry out a number of exercises together. Material from the previous workshops as well as your own setup can serve as a starting point.

The workshop is aimed at anyone interested, regardless of experience level. Any technical setup is welcome, whether laptop, hardware synthesizer, hybrid instruments or live coding. However, due to the limited time available, your setup should not be too complex. If you are interested but can't bring your own setup, we will provide some tools for improvisation. We will then present the results of the workshop in a jam session at storyLab kiU.

Date: 15.11.25 - Workshop: 15:30- 18:30, AV-Jam: 18:30-19:30

Location: Digital co-production lab & KiU

Registration: kolab.nrw

Number of participants: max. 12

Connecting Signals AV-Jam

At the end of the KoLab Days we invite you to an audiovisual jam! The focus is on improvising and performing together - the direct interplay of sound and image.

Participants from the workshop "Connecting Signals: Workshop for audiovisual live improvisation" will present their own created setups: from live coding to synthesizers to visual interfaces, everything is possible. Elements from the previous workshops (Make Noise With Data Workshop, VR Sculpting Workshop & Audioreactive Visuals in Blender Workshop) can be reinterpreted and adapted. Or participants can use their own audio snippets and visuals. The main thing is to jam audiovisually.

The AV Jam will be shown live on a corner projection in the StoryLab kiU truss system.

Date: 15.11.25 - 18:30-19:30

Location: StoryLab kiU