Category Archives: News

News

The video to a Section of an Alpine model from the Cabinet of Curiosities in the Berlin Palace – Retreat of the great Aletsch Glacier caused by climate change online available.

A video by Christoph Schneider, Uta Sommer, Melina Radecke, Oliver Zauzig (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and Andreas Linsbauer (Universität Zürich)

The video presents a section of an important historical relief map of the Swiss Alps and shows how the retreat of glaciers as a result of man-made climate change relates to it. The starting point of the video is the culturally and historically valuable topographical relief with the Aletsch Glacier at its centre. It was created over 200 years ago by the Swiss topographer and relief artist Joachim Eugen Müller (1752-1833) for the Berlin Kunstkammer, the Cabinet of Curiosities in der Berlin Palace, and is now in the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace. It is the only remaining part of the Alpine relief, which once consisted of ten individual parts and was a major attraction in the Berlin Kunstkammer at the beginning of the 19th century. Müller has reproduced the mountain landscape in great detail, true to scale and almost exactly. In the video, details of the relief are shown and their landscape-shaping significance is explained.

The current appearance of the Alps is largely shaped by past and present glaciation. The largest Alpine glacier is the Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss canton of Valais. Although its extent and thickness are still impressive, it also provides a direct indication of human-induced climate change. The changes to the landscape are impressively presented in the film. In particular, the rise in temperature recorded over the last 200 years is clearly manifested in the accelerated melting of Alpine glaciers. The consequences for people and nature are already fundamental today. Müller’s relief illustrates the situation before the onset of industrialisation and thus before human-induced climate change. The video communicates the insight that the consequences of climate change are a reality that needs to be made visible, tangible and understandable. It emphasizes that culture and nature are not in opposition, but are mutually influencing spheres on our planet.

Elaboration of contents: Christoph Schneider, Uta Sommer, Melina Radecke, Oliver Zauzig (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Andreas Linsbauer (Universität Zürich)
Production: Jörg Schulze (CMS, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Speaker: Camilla Leathem (Berlin University Alliance)

Object of the month February 2023

Video is available on the HU YouTube channel
German
English

Download via Edoc-Server of HU
German Version
English Version

News, Sound Archive

Cooperation project at the Lautarchiv

Sonic Imaginaries of Africa in German Cinema (1930-2000)

 

The Austrian Science Fund FWF is funding the research project “Sonic Imaginaries of Africa in German Cinema (1930-2000)” at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz from 23.09.2024-22.09.2028. Cooperation partners are the Lautarchiv of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.

The project will make a contribution to the emergence and development of the sounds of cinematic Africa. Since the early days of cinematography, Africa has been an important production site for commercial films from the global North. Since music or sound as a sensual dimension of the everyday is an elementary component of discourses and ideas about the African continent, the project aims to analyze cinematic sound historically and structurally.

What is completely new in this project is the inclusion of anthropological material in the analysis of film music, which is based on empirical archive work.

From 13 January 2025 to May 2025, in the visitors’ room of the Lautarchiv, Dr. Maria Fuchs will be working for the first time on a previously unexplored collection of historical written documents that could be relevant to her project. The above document shows an excerpt from the article “Das ‘tönende Museum’, Westfälische Zeitung, Bielefeld, No. 88, April 15, 1932 – a first thematically relevant find that gives an idea of the archive’s potential for the use of sound film at this time.

-> further information

News, Publication

New volume in the series „Bildwelten des Wissens“

Bildwelten des Wissens – Volume 20
Instruktive Bilder: Visuelle Anleitung praktischer Fertigkeit

Edited by Paul Brakmann and Lea Hilsemer together with the Research Centre “The Technical Image”.

Whether in cookery books, on planes, in factories or laboratories – instructive images are omnipresent. They explain, pass on and store knowledge about bodies, materials and processes: Schematically, they visualise positioning in space, movement, temporal sequences, or operating methods, encouraging us to imitate them. This volume examines their primary function as conveyors of practical knowledge, and describes their development in the context of social, technological and media transformation processes. A historical cross-section is provided by interdisciplinary contributions discussing aesthetic, communicative and political aspects of this visual cultural field, which is extremely diverse but has been little acknowledged to date.

Paul Brakmann and Lea Hilsemer (ed.)
Bildwelten des Wissens Band 20
Instruktive Bilder: Visuelle Anleitung praktischer Fertigkeit
Berlin, Boston: dG Arts, 2024.
Licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International)
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783689240189

BdW-Band-20-Instruktive-Bilder-Cover
Brakmann, Paul and Hilsemer, Lea. Band 20 Instruktive Bilder: Visuelle Anleitung praktischer Fertigkeit, Berlin, Boston: dG Arts, 2024.
News, Sound Archive

Humboldt Prize 2024

Paula Zwolenski honored with the Humboldt Prize

Paula Zwolenski was awarded the Humboldt Prize 2024 for her bachelor thesis “Sensitive sound recording from the archive. Communication attempts and self-positioning in the sound recording of the Indian prisoner of war Baldeo Singh”.

In her work, she examines how Baldeo Singh used the colonially influenced recording session of the Phonographic Commission to communicate and position himself as an individual speaker. Zwolenski analyses power asymmetries, deconstructs colonial practices and explores perspectives for the decolonization of historical collections.

The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin honors outstanding academic work by students and early career researchers with the award every year. The award ceremony took place on November 12 in the Lichthof Ost at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

News, Sound Archive

Theses 2024

Three master theses on Lautarchiv-related subjects in 2024

In 2024, three students successfully completed their Master’s degree with a thesis on a Lautarchiv-related topic.

At the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Cultural Analysis (Prof. Rolando Vázquez), Marie Baur completed her Master’s thesis on ‘Return(s) Listening to and beyond Voice Recordings of Martinican and Guadeloupean Prisoners of War in Germany during the First World War’.

At the Institute for European Ethnology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Dominik Biewer completed his Master’s degree with a thesis on ‘Die Stimme im Vollzug. (Re-)Figurierung einer “kriminellen Stimmaufnahme” im Archiv’ (Prof. Silvy Chakkalakal).

In the Language and Communication degree programme of the Technische Universität Berlin (Prof. Thiering), Luise Haubenreiser completed a linguistic thesis on ‘Das koloniale Archiv als Hort der Macht. Auf der Suche nach dekolonialen Resonanzen in der linguistischen Praxis’.

Congratulations!

All three works can be found in the Lautarchiv’s reference library and can be viewed and read on site by appointment.

Event, Lecture Series, News

Lecture series “Beziehungsweise Familie” (Family Matters) – Anette Fasang

On 22 January 2025 at 18:00 we invite you to the next date of the lecture series "Beziehungsweise Familie" (Family Matters):

Career and Family Life Demography and Inequality in Focus

Prof. Dr. Anette Fasang (Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute for Social Sciences)

Dr. Anette Fasang is Professor of Microsociology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Director of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Director of the Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences. Before moving to Berlin, she completed her doctorate at Jacobs University Bremen and did postdoctoral research at Yale University and Columbia University. Her research interests include family demography, stratification and life course sociology. She was awarded the prestigious Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research in 2018 and 2023. Her recent work has appeared in leading international journals such as American Journal of Sociology, Demography, Population and Development Review and Sociological Methodology.

The lecture will be held in German.

Participation is possible without pre-registration and is open to all interested parties.

Organiser:

Prof Dr Daniel Tyradellis (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Dr Alia Rayyan (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Dr Laura Goldenbaum (Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace)

Place and time:

22 January 2025,

6 to 8 pm

in Room 3 (Saal 3), ground floor, Humboldt Forum, Schlossplatz.

Further information

Familie_Plakat_Ringvorlesung_A1_02-1
Anette Fasang

Dr. Anette Fasang ist Professorin für Mikrosoziologie an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin und Direktorin der Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaften und Direktorin der Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences. Vor ihrem Wechsel nach Berlin hat sie an der Jacobs University Bremen promoviert und als Postdoktorandin an der Yale University und der Columbia University geforscht. Ihre Forschungsinteressen umfassen Familiendemographie, Stratifikation und Lebenslaufsoziologie. Sie wurde 2018 und 2023 mit dem renommierten Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research ausgezeichnet. Ihre jüngsten Arbeiten sind in führenden internationalen Fachzeitschriften wie American Journal of Sociology, Demography, Population and Development Review und Sociological Methodology erschienen.

BUA, Knowledge Exchange, News, Open Humboldt Freiräume, Third Mission

Universities have a civic duty

In this first networking event for knowledge exchange with society, experts and academics from Oxford and Berlin came together at Humboldt University’s Center for Cultural Technique to discuss the topic of public engagement.

The historic lecture hall and the object laboratory of the Center for Cultural Techniques provided the perfect space – the international speakers contributed the specific professional expertise for this November event: the topic of “Researching with Society – International Perspectives” brought together 50 scientists and science-related stakeholders to exchange ideas on how researching with society can succeed. The importance, possibilities and techniques of participatory research and the role of universities were discussed in lectures and workshops.

A highlight of the day was the keynote speech by Dr. Victoria McGuinness, Head of Public Engagement and Head of the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) at the University of Oxford. She emphasized the changing role of universities – from a static educational institution to an institution with social responsibility and an open space for discourse – and at the same time highlighted the importance of every scientist as a “doorway to the university” for non-academic communities.

Talks and workshops

On invitation by the office for Knowledge Exchange with Society at Humboldt University’s Center for Cultural Technique and the TD-Lab – Laboratory for Transdisciplinary Research of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), participants were able to explore the methods and impact of participatory research in practical workshops and network with other public engagement experts.

For example, the workshop “What is Public Engagement with Research in the Humanities?” with Dr. Victoria McGuinness offered the opportunity to talk about motivation and support systems needed to bring researchers into exchange with non-academic publics.

In the workshop “Developing Compelling Impact Stories” with Pavel Ovseiko, DPhil MSc PGDip, Senior Research Fellow in Health Policy and Management at John Radcliffe Hospital (University of Oxford) the participants looked at ways in which social impact can be defined, collected, communicated and established in a meaningful way.

Ausblick auf 2025

The exchange on public engagement will be continued next year and opportunities for further training – such as the recently launched cooperation with the Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science – will be expanded. The aim is to support scientists who are conducting or planning to conduct research projects in participatory ways.

Questions, suggestions and/or specific ideas can be sent to wissensaustausch.hzk@hu-berlin.de 

Photos by Stefan Klenke, Humboldt University

Knowledge Exchange, News, Object Lab, Third Mission

Object Lab: Seed Funding for Teaching

The program ‘Object Lab: Seed Funding for Teaching’ supports teachers and students across disciplines in shaping academic questions and seminar work in cooperation with society. The aim is to integrate questions, experience and knowledge from society into teaching and university work with students, to learn from various actors in civil society, culture or politics and create an equal exchange.

The office for “Knowledge Exchange with Society” at the Center for Cultural Technique supports seminars that work in a transdisciplinary or participatory way and include elements of exchange with society or public engagement. This may include:

  • Cooperation with appropriate societal actors / organizations
  • Cooperation in the organization or presentation of course content; in the form of co-teaching or using other methods that aim to incorporate expertise from outside academia
  • Course design with aspects of community-based research/learning
  • Cooperation with society within a seminar by students, in course projects or final theses
  • Cooperation with social groups or organizations for the presentation/display of course results
  • Courses that combine material practices, object- or body-centered approaches in teaching with external collaborations

Support is provided through:

  • Funding of course materials up to 1,000 euros per seminar
  • Use of space at the Object Lab on the North Campus, including flexible room equipment
  • Occasional event assistance by arrangement
  • Support/advice from HU team Knowledge exchange with society (approx. 2h per week)

Eligible for funding are:

  • Courses that are transdisciplinary or include elements of exchange with society
  • BA or MA seminars by members of the Center for Cultural Technique, HU Berlin
  • Seminars that can take place in the Object Lab on Campus North or establish a spatial reference to the space through workshops/parts of the seminar work
  • Seminars that take place in SoSe 2025 or WiSe 2025/26
  • Material costs that are spent for coursework within the calendar year 2025 (expenses are paid by the Center for Cultural Technique or the assigned WBS element)

Members of the Center for Cultural Technique are eligible to apply in the first funding phase:

  • Please contact Xenia Muth or Leonie Kubigsteltig or send a short inquiry to hzk@hu-berlin.de to register your interest
  • Expression of interest for the SoSe 2025 should be received by 26.01.2025
Discussion, Event, Exhibition, News

Parrot Terristories: Rethinking More-than-Human History, Conservation, Care, and Colonial Legacies

The transdisciplinary roundtable, which is part of Hörner/Antlfinger: Parrot Terristories exhibition at TA T – Tieranatomisches Theater, investigates intersections of more-than-human global history, animal agency, conservation, care, and colonial legacies. The panel examines how African grey parrots make culture in freedom—expressing complex social behaviors, cognition, and adaptability—and how captivity disrupts these processes. This commodification of parrots serves as a lens for broader histories of exploitation and the ethical challenges of conservation. The roundtable further explores the role of indigenous knowledge and practices in rethinking conservation and highlights the need to decolonize approaches that reflect interconnected human and nonhuman histories. By critiquing the colonial provenance of natural history collections, the discussion reveals how power dynamics have shaped preservation ethics and interpretation. Linking these perspectives, the roundtable envisions equitable conservation and museum practices that emphasize shared responsibilities across species and cultures.

The event will be held in English.    

Caption: Ölpalme auf Danniel Mbahurire’s Land, Uganda 2022, Foto: HörnerAntlfinger (links); A. Goering, in Carl Hennicke, Der Graupapagei in Freiheit und Gefangenschaft, 1895 (rechts)


When:

Tour of the exhibition with artists Ute Hörner and Mathias Antlfinger: December 12, 2024 at 5 p.m.

Round table: December 12, 2024, at 6  to 8.15 p.m.

Venue: TA T — Tieranatomisches Theater, Zentrum für Kulturtechnik, HU Berlin Campus Nord, Philippstraße 13/Haus 3

Roundtable Discussion at TA T – Tieranatomisches Theater

Participants

Nancy Jacobs, Brown University, Providence, is a historian and author of the book The Global Grey Parrot: The Worldwide History of a Charismatic African Animal https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/projects/global-grey-parrot-worldwide-history-charismatic-african-animalhttps://www.brown.edu/news/2024-02-29/grey-parrots She is very much concerned with animals as historical actors and parrots as political, cultural, and world-making creatures. She is also interested in human efforts to improve life for parrots in captivity and to conserve the birds’ existence in their native forests.

 Katja Kaiser, Museum for Natural History Berlin, Research associate in the project “Guidelines for the handling of natural history collections from colonial contexts”. Katja Kaiser collaborated with Ute Hörner and Mathias Antlfinger on their work “One of Thirtysix” that traces the provenance of single grey parrot specimen from the museum’s collection https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en/about/team/katja.kaiser

André Krebber, guest fellow in cultural history and theory at LeipzigLab at Leipzig University and adjunct lecturer at the University of Kassel. André’s interested in knowledge cultures and how they shape and are shaped by human-nature relations with a particular focus on the role of nonhuman animals therein to respond to the current environmental crisis. In his forthcoming book The Forgotten Animal, he proposes an aesthetic practice of animal remembrance that makes the recognition of animal self-determination the foundation for overcoming appropriating relations to nature. https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb05/fachgruppen-und-institute/geschichte/lehrgebiet/sozial-und-kulturgeschichte-human-animal-studies/dr-andre-krebber

Munyaradzi Elton Sagiya, Lecturer, Culture and Heritage Studies (CHS) at Bindura University, Zimbawe and Research Fellow at inherit. heritage in transformation at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His research interests include decolonising heritage conservation practices, African archeology, and museology.

https://inherit.hu-berlin.de/fellows/munyaradzi-elton-sagiya

Ute Hörner and Mathias Antlfinger are professors of multispecies storytelling at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and have been living together in a multispecies household with grey parrots for over 20 years. Their installations, videos and sculptures deal with relationships between humans, animals and machines and open up critical perspectives on changeable social constructs as well as utopian visions of equal interaction. Their communal living with non-human animals is characterised by shared social actions and how these produce a shared space. In 2014, Hörner/Antlfinger founded the interspecies collective CMUK with the grey parrots Clara and Karl, who are also contributing artistic works to the current exhibition.

Felix Sattler is head and curator of the TA T – Exhibition Research Space at the Centre for Cultural Techniques, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His curatorial strategy aims to foster dialogue between a variety of communities. Felix Sattler’s projects have addressed topics as diverse as the art and design history of unicellular algae, an archaeology of the multiple past, and the postcolonial controversies surrounding museums and human remains.

Contact:

Felix Sattler,  felix.sattler@culture.hu-berlin.de

Collection, Event, Lecture Series, News

Invitation to the lecture series “Hands On. Research Perspectives on Collections”, November 25, 2024 – Vom Tasten zum Sehen. Eine Objektgeschichte der geburtshilflichen Untersuchung

On November 11, 2024 at 18:00 c.t. the second session of the lecture series “Hands-on. Research Perspectives on Collections”, organized by the Coordination Office for Scientific Collections in Germany, will take place:

Vom Tasten zum Sehen. Eine Objektgeschichte der geburtshilflichen Untersuchung
Prof. Dr. Karen Nolte (Universität Heidelberg)

When male doctors in Germany entered the female-dominated field of obstetrics, they had to come to terms with their own and women’s modesty with regard to genital examinations. They initially restricted the obstetric examination to morally acceptable and thoroughly learned touches. The lecture will examine how male obstetricians dealt with female modesty and how this was manifested in obstetrical objects. Based on an object-related analysis of specula vaginae and cervix models from the 18th and 19th centuries in the German obstetric collections in Würzburg and Göttingen, it will be shown how obstetric examinations and thus the objects themselves changed historically in form and function over the course of the 19th century. The specula developed from the tubular speculum, which allowed a limited view of the female genitalia, to the beak-shaped and two-part speculum, with which the vagina could be spread wide open. The establishment of the medical gaze in obstetric examinations reflects the emergence of the scientific concept of objectivity around 1850.

The lecture will be held in German.

Participation is possible without pre-registration and is free for all interested parties!

Organisers:
Sarah Elena Link and Gesa Grimme
Coordination Centre for Scientific Collections in Germany

Time and Place:
The event takes place on Monday November, 25, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kurssaal, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Kulturtechnik, Campus Nord, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to network and exchange ideas over a small drink.

There is also the possibility to join the event via Zoom.

Further information