Rogue Futures: Radical Sci-Fi

What might a future society look and sound like if we fundamentally depart from conventional understandings of technology? We will work in an interdisciplinary constellation with students and lecturers from various degree programmes at Munich's art academies to invent, dream and explore alternative futures beyond ideologies of productivity and expansion. In theoretical and practical seminars on cultural theory of technology, electronics hacking and improvised film technology, we will bring together experimental film, performance and sound art.

Critiquing ideologies of growth and progress is what many – if not most – contemporary art practices and courses are engaging with these days. However, in this project the focus will not be on commonplace ideas tweaking the status quo by merely imagining “green solutions”, making existing platforms more “equitable and inclusive” etc. Rather, we will be looking at extreme scenarios: What if we would technologize absolutely everything? What if all technology would be destroyed? What might the technoculture of a properly anarchist or a fully totalitarian society be like?

Cultural theory of technology and (experimental) sci-fi cinema will be our main points of departure, so we’ll be reading quite a bit, and sit in the dark together watching films. Connected to this, we will develop some (basic) practical skills in machinima creation, film editing and electronics development, among others. The process of the project will be open and flexible. We will shape and adjust the activities and contents along the way, depending on our findings and interests. Hence, the schedule below should be read as a proposal. We’ll be working together, students and staff alike, forming teams during the process, based on shared interests.

Two-semester course (14 teaching days of 6 hours each + tutorials)

University of Music and Theatre, University of Television and Film, Academy of Fine Art Munich (2025-26)