Guest keynote speaker 

Satch Hoyt, born in London of British and African-Jamaican ancestry, is currently living and working in Berlin, Germany. He makes sculptures and installations accompanied with sound, as well as paintings and drawings.

There is a dichotomy in the genres that define two sides of the same coin: a dual and complementary reflection on the African Diaspora and its multi-fold consequences. The sculptural trope in Hoyt’s work addresses the facts on the ground, so to speak, of black experience, while the drawings tap into a spirit of fantasy, refuge, and transcendence - they are vehicles for an imaginative journey beyond the obduracy and oppressiveness of history. 

With regards to his musical accomplishments Satch Hoyt has composed a number of songs with Grace Jones; noteworthy, is 7 Day Weekend which is on the triple platinum soundtrack album of the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang. Hoyt played flute on Louise Bourgeois’ OTTE, and is flautist - percussionist in Burt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber since 2001.

Hoyt has sung and played on numerous recordings and has recently recorded a new album in Berlin, Battlefields Of Peace, under the pseudonym Pharaoh Dreams which includes guest musicians Julia Kent (Anthony and the Johnsons), Cass Lewis (Skunk Anansie), Earl Harvin (Me’shell Ndegocello) and Dave Smoota Smith (TV On The Radio). The album is co-written and co-produced with Dirk Leyers.

Aimee Portioli (Grand River), Satch Hoyt plus more TBA. Moderated by Emma Lo

As a field that is constantly inventing and reinventing itself, artistic research is an ongoing negotiation of practice, techniques, methods and discovery. Join us for an affirmative, artist-centred and practice-focused conversation, where we aim to illuminate the process of artistic research and give voice to diverse and sometimes dissonant points of view, without a need for their resolution.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst 

Berlin's influence on the creative processes of migrant artists (Hybrid presentation with Q&A)

Berlin has attracted musicians from different disciplines and parts of the world for decades. But what makes Berlin so attractive for artists? My project seeks to understand Berlin's magnetism for so many artists residing in this city. In particular, I focus on understanding how this city affects the creative processes of migrant artists and how these processes intervene in the artists' perception of identity. Through interviews with migrant artists, understanding the history of this city, and making an autoethnography of where I am the subject of study, I intend to know how the experience of living in Berlin shapes my artistic direction. On the other hand, I question how this experience transformed my identity in a city that opened the door to explore different places previously hidden from me.  

/// About Carri 

Sebastián Carrizosa, aka Carri, personal and professional explorations draw on a wide range
of influences. His endeavours range
from the school of jazz music, through the raw sounds of noise and
punk rock, to the polyrhythmic sounds native to the Caribbean and West Africa, through to the manifestation of common meeting points via the sophistication of pop. Sebastián has often experienced a creative torrent that has empowered
him in creating a furious, wild and profound collection of songs throughout his career.
In other moments, according to the broader creative environment,
this strength has been adequately adapted dependent upon the creative
direction and roles as defined by colleagues. 

Creative Production (Film) MA, Catalyst

The Amoeba´s Offering (Installation)

Nature is regarded as beautiful. Its image is often serene, a romantic imagination of an untouched landscape. However, how often are we able to see these kinds of landscapes? Do they still exist? The project investigates the extent to which moving images can successfully engage with and promote ecological thought, both within the subject and throughout the production process. It focuses on the ecosystem of moving images, using varying methods to record footage with both digital and analogue techniques. 

In collaboration with Isabel Villalonga Ortiz, The Amoeba´s Offering is a video installation which transports you into the watery depths of Berlin, away from its external screams and into its consciousness. We find an ancient amoeba who’s eager to tell their story of the land, reconstructing the discarded fragments of memories into a new kingdom. The Amoeba is ready to show you, but will you listen?

/// About Charlie Black 

With a background in animation, Charlie expands her visual language through the use of a camera. Her practice focuses on the ecology of lived spaces, documenting the complex relationships between humans and the rest of nature that manifest in our daily lives. She uses both research and imagination to create sensorial depictions of the landscape, working with both analogue and digital materials. To her, the medium is as important as the subject, and she embraces the uncontrollable life of the image itself to create experimental moving collages. 

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

Co_evolve (Spoken presentation with Q&A and installation)

Co_evolve explores the intersection of art, technology, and societal ethics, highlighting issues such as widespread data collection by companies and governments. This project delves into data privacy concerns in today's digital age using advanced technology to track microorganisms in real-time and sonify their data using complex sound design. It challenges traditional artistic boundaries by offering a multisensory experience that critiques the effects of data on privacy. Utilising tools like Yolov8 Object Detection and TouchDesigner, combined with soundscapes created in Ableton Live, the project uses biological specimens as symbols for how our data is being unknowingly collected and the complexities of human-technology interactions. Co_evolve is more than an artistic endeavour; it is a comprehensive exploration designed to engage and provoke thought among audiences through various formats. It emphasises the critical role of art in discussing and reflecting on current ethical issues, showcasing a unique fusion of technical prowess and philosophical depth.

/// About Connor Oman 

Connor Oman, known in the art and music spheres as Oman Sounds, is an interdisciplinary artist focusing on the intersection between science, technology and experimental design. With a foundation in advanced sound design techniques and visual experimentation, he combines these elements to articulate the themes of his research. Residing in Berlin, Germany, Connor immerses himself in the vibrant artistic community, collaborating with diverse artists and participating in various events. This engagement not only broadens his horizons but also deepens his contribution to the creative world, making him a distinctive new voice in the interdisciplinary art landscape.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

Exploring fugue: compositional elements and audience immersion in electroacoustic improvisation (Live performance)

This research aims to explore compositional motifs with repeating and cyclic elements to use in an electroacoustic improvisation ensemble to induce an audience into altered mental states. The aim is to produce those feelings of immersion through a live, conducted improvisation performance. These elements include repetition, rhythm, composition, and structure that redefine the feeling of time for the listener. It is also important for me to analyse the social aspect of participants’ collective consciousness as a vehicle for achieving this state of mind: the target being the audience experiencing the performances. Guided by a contextual research foundation, I will design a workshop in Berlin that recruits electronic/acoustic musicians and producers. I will lead them as a conductor, using and teaching a language of gestural signs that create an improvised ensemble piece. 

/// About Jannah Emam 

Jannah Emam aka Juno is an Egyptian singer, songwriter, musician and producer; born and raised in the city of Cairo. She has been playing music since the age of 10, but her music career took off in 2020 when she released her first EP "Immerse" with producer Hatem El Chiati and has been making music ever since. Her sound has a wide range of many different genres, all of which she was influenced by while growing up, from jazz to indie rock to dream pop, even techno! You will find that Juno’s curiosity for different music shows as she continues to explore the oceans of sounds. I want to have a showcase with a small number of musicians to demonstrate the work that I am doing. 

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

Other Voices (Spoken presentation with Q&A and installation)

This research project explores the boundaries of the auditorily familiar to find insights into the unfamiliar and presents its findings in an immersive auditive field. Sound explorations and fictitious narratives of encounters with the unfamiliar form the basis of several experimental modules, ranging from spectromorphology to speech analysis, spatial audio distribution methods and avant-garde vocal techniques. To expand upon the concept of immersion, the researcher enters the field of immersion on a meta-level, exploring possibilities of relating to fictitious characters by becoming one of the characters himself and sharing sensory experiences with fictitious characters created by him. The final format is to be a spatial audio play. It follows 10 protagonists, portrayed by 10 speakers in a room, encountering the unfamiliar in various fictitious worlds, which question the linearity of time and space, playing with the physical and thematic separation between them through music, vocal sound design, and soundscaping.

/// About Jonas Kern 

Multimedia artist Jonas Kern has published work in the form of soundtracks, audio-visual live events, installations, and pure audio albums. Some of the films he scored have been screened at various international film and short-film festivals, while his installation and live art is based in Berlin. Through the electro-acoustic amalgamation of organic and synthesised sound sources, Kern creates audio narratives that feature elements from natural soundscapes, animals, and insects, as well as avant-garde vocal techniques, acoustic instruments from all around the world, and synthesised sound. His works attempt to inspire an audience to explore their innate sensorial talents.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

Systems aesthetics in electronic music: a manifesto (Spoken presentation with Q&A)

This project serves as an initial investigation into the impact of applying the concept of systems aesthetics to the composition of electronic music. So far, this process has involved a practical exploration into how aspects of systems theory can help us to better understand and develop compositional techniques and technologies. The final focus of this project lies more in the philosophical effects of situating electronic music composition within a modernised conception of systems aesthetics. Using my own relationship with the theory surrounding systems aesthetics and its connection to my compositional practice, I will present a manifesto outlining the results I have found and explain why I think this consciousness around the concept of systems in the composition of electronic music may be useful to other artists and other disciplines. 

/// About Joshua Mellard

Josh Em (Joshua Mellard) is an electronic musician from West Yorkshire (UK), currently based in Berlin (DE). His focus currently lies in the production of his own musical work, and with both live electronic and DJ performances. Josh is particularly interested in playing with musical structure, using concepts involved in his masters degree research into systems theory and systems aesthetics to develop this. He is passionate about understanding music in terms of its connections, be they aesthetic or contextual, rather than through often arbitrary distinctions.

Creative Production (Film) MA, Catalyst

Land other (Installation)

Land Mother is a photographic projection capturing the intimate bond immigrants share with their homeland. Centring on queer and female perspectives, this project explores the transformation of memory through embodiment. Exploring how sound, textures, and smells bring back unexpected memories. Inspired by the concept of the "motherland," Land Mother draws parallels between our relationship with our homeland and motherhood. Our relationships with our mothers can be complex and uneasy. Land Mother produces the former sentiment analogous to the volatile connection to our homeland, a figment marred by both love and pain.

By allowing participants to select the memories they embody, Land Mother ensures their voices remain at the heart of the project.

/// About Karo Pelc

Karo Pelc is a film director with a background in painting and photography. She earned her BFA from Concordia University in Montreal, where she received two FASA awards for video art. Her photography has been published in PhMuseum (Milan) and The Void (Montreal). With valuable experience in both the art and production departments of film, Karo is currently completing her MA in Creative Production (Film) at Catalyst, Berlin, while working on her debut narrative short film. She is also exploring writing and directing films on immigration through the female gaze.

Creative Production (Film) MA, Catalyst

Long American Film (Screening)

This project is an adaptation of the play Film Ameriki Tawil by Ziad Al Rahbani, a Lebanese director and composer. The title of the play translates to Long American Film. It tells the story of several patients in a mental hospital in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war in the late 1970s, all of whom were admitted to the hospital due to traumatic experiences caused by the war.

The adaptation took the form of a mashup short film, combining elements of the mentioned play and the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975). The mashup short film depicts a shared narrative of a group of individuals who endured war-related trauma. The remarkable aspect was the uncanny parallels that emerged between the two pieces.

/// About Lara Khattar

Lara is a film editor from Lebanon, currently based in Berlin and pursuing her MA in Creative Production (Film) at Catalyst. She completed her BA in Filmmaking in Beirut, Lebanon and spent a year at Roma Film Academy in Rome, Italy, focusing on film editing. Over the past few years, she has collaborated with renowned directors in Lebanon. Currently, she is immersed in a project exploring the universal human experience of war trauma, leveraging her multicultural background and professional expertise to create impactful narratives.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

The Sound of Memory (Spoken presentation with Q&A)

The project explores the way to build collective memory practices through an artistic approach. This under the crescent wave of musicians approaching new genres and raising the popularity of a national identity that processes collective pain through culture. I’m analysing a key moment for artists from Colombia’s capital and our responsibility of building a discourse that’s self reflected about the ghosts of our shared experiences.

/// About Maria Paula Mondragón

Berlin-based Colombian artist exploring the electronic music world beyond her long journey in live performances with Bogotan band, Babelgam and as live sound engineer for other acts. Inspired by the musical diversity of both cities that fuel this project (Bogotá and Berlin), María’s solo project Gugol Maps is a result of the investigation within the sound of memory. This process seeks to understand the core of being a Colombian during post-conflict times from a musical and sonic perspective.

Masters of Arts Degree New Media Design, University of Europe for Applied Sciences Art and Design

This isn't Me, This is a Representation of Me (Spoken presentation with Q&A)

People; including queer trans, non binary, female-presenting and colonised bodies have been mainly viewed through the male, colonialist heteronormative gaze. Being able to take pictures for themselves, having this autonomy to see their process of exploration, mutation, shape shifting, to keep an image of themselves, or to share to the world how they feel comfortable is emotional, personal and raw. It becomes a small ritual for a person taking their picture in the moment, it can be spontaneous or very curated. I will argue that this relatively new process of representation isn’t superficial. It can be a way of self expression, nostalgia, and a way for the queer community to share themselves, explore their visual identity and ultimately explore the bodies they inhabit. My research is about this self exploration through photography and this place to find themselves and present themselves in a more accurate way.

Foreshadowing (Installation)

I used Mammatus Cloud formation as a metaphor for that feeling before something bad is about to happen. In this case it was the civil war of El Salvador that changed my family and everyone's lives with so much pain, death, exile and ending in a fragile post- war peace that is now censored by the current government. My parents describe the months, years before the war as tension that kept building. The government started being even more repressive and people were starting to resist this. There were mass arrests, executions, then there were bombs and kidnappings by the resistance. This story is about my family and beautiful moments portrayed through pictures, before and during the war that marked their life, erupted. I did research on the civil war, cloud formations, on my family pictures and also physical research through prototypes with fog, materials, structures and projections. As well as references from case studies all cited.

/// About Marta Torres

Marta Torres was born, raised and lived most of her life in the very small and very conservative country of El Salvador. With a bachelors in Interior Architecture, specialising in furniture, art direction and social design she moves around mediums to express her style, voice and what she believes in. She’s been active in the El Salvador's social issues scene including the lack of LGBTQ+ rights, feminicides, censorship and moved to Berlin to further expand artist work including currently in her last year of pursuing an M.A. in New Media Design.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

Leaving a Lover (Performance)

This musical theatrical performance-in-making has a fairytale as the main inspiration for the content. By investigating fairytale changes through history and following archetypal messages in research, POMA, as a performer, pays attention to those moments in the story when emotions were not told or expressed. The idea is that music allows the character to reflect on what happened. Imagining a character who is going through breaking up a relationship and asks Autumn for help in letting go, the performer on stage is an older woman who embodies all women in us: the one who needs help, the one who can provide advice, and the one who is telling the story. Through seven songs and performative intermission, we follow non-linear storytelling built upon archetype reading, fear of letting go  and associative series.

/// About POMA

Through the author's alias POMA, Maja Posavec combines her musical and theatrical practice, creating projects as an experimental approach to personal storytelling in theatre. “Leaving a Lover” is a continuation of her exploration in this field. Maja Posavec, awarded Croatian actress and musician with over fifteen years of experience in theatre productions and versatile music collaborations. After ten years in institutional theatre, she is pursuing her freelance acting career and developing her theatre projects, alongside music productions and education in Berlin.

Creative Production (Music) MA, Catalyst

The Mirror With a Soul (Installation)

In the rapidly expanding field of performance music and sound installations, gesture mapping technology is emerging as a significant innovation. In the past, mechanical audio output was primarily generated through the physical interaction of instruments with the human body. However, contemporary music studios have evolved into multi-device environments equipped with specialised musical equipment to fulfil various tasks, including sound synthesis, recording, and mixing. Modern electronic music performers must closely manage a myriad of pre-recorded instruments, software, and rhythms, which limits their ability to utilise more traditional human-computer interaction methods. In contrast, gesture mapping technology utilises cameras and algorithms to capture gestures, enabling interaction between the human body and computerised instruments. The goal of this research project is to design a "soulful mirror" capable of capturing users' movements and transforming them into sound. This novel sound device allows participants to engage in sound interaction with their own bodies, thus sparking reflection on the relationship between humans, nature and the ecological environment.

/// About Yuxin Mei

Temple Rat aka Mei YuXin is an instrumentalist, composer, producer and DJ from Shanghai, China. Her music is a remarkable marriage of two practices; a folk music tradition that spans four millennia, and up-to-the-minute electronic production. Having been a student of the Erhu, a bowed chordophone with staggering flexibility and possibilities for extended technique, she works with an organic approach using self-built sound design tools and field recordings, resulting in a completely DIY and time-transcending sound that is rooted in the colours and tradition of her roots.