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“The students instantly understand. Similar to putting a football in front of a small child, they don’t ask questions, they just do”

Guest artist Nicolas Collins is a composer, improviser & master-hacker. He wrote Handmade Electronic Music (Routledge) which combines an accessible guide to building personal electronic instruments with an overview of contributors to the field. Nic has taught at top universities and schools all around the world, but has never strayed far from his electronic music roots and has both performed and presented installations over 1,000 times around the globe. In June he returned to the Catalyst hallways, bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to run a well attended workshop for our Music MA students.

Nic Collins at Catalyst

“It’s very intuitive” he explained after the class, “within an hour and a half, everyone is making noise”. Nic bought with him a prepackaged module for each participating student, containing all the necessary parts to build a tangible electronic instrument. Which is exactly what the students did for the next 3 hours. By the end of the workshop, the Electronic Music Production Lab was full of 12 hand-built machines producing squeaks, vrooms and bjow noises (video will be attached). The innovative instruments, called a “cracklebox”, responded to student’s skin depending on where and how hard the player touched their recently soldered chipboards.

“This workshop is a break from the norm for us. Normally the Creative Production Masters in Music is concerned with primarily students' own creative projects” said Richard Scott, Programme Lead for Creative Production Masters in Music. “It is a delight to have Nic here again and to introduce the students to his endless creativity, energy and good humour!”

Nic described the workshop as more akin to vocational training and comparable to some educational forms in the states, where Nic is from. “I have led similar workshops before, but this one really zoned in on one particular piece of equipment”. Students all left the classroom chatting enthusiastically, and can now process how the workshop will inform their upcoming projects and future practices. 

Luckily the Music MA students were not left wanting, and the following week Nic returned to deliver a lecture. He spoke about his understanding and misunderstandings of the work of Alvin Lucier. Lucier, who died late 2021 was a hugely influential American minimalist composer, whose work used brainwaves and many different technologies, often in unconventional ways. He was Nic's teacher and colleague, and he assisted him in the realisation of many performances. This was the first time Nic has discussed his work publicly since, and presented Catalyst students with a rare opportunity to hear from someone who was deeply engaged in this work over many years. Thanks for your generosity and time, Nic!

The Nicolas Collins workshop and lecture is part of the Creative Production Masters in Music framework. Rich in guest lecturers, seminars and workshops that provide a thorough grounding in practice-led research theory and methodology, these elements run alongside and feed into a wider range of research in sound, music and the arts. You can read all about the course and its structure here . To read more about Nicolas, you can visit his page here 

Internationally reknown musician runs workshops and lectures at Funkhaus, Berlin

Nic Collins visits Catalyst Music MA

We're pleased to announce our official partnership with Berlin's iconic Radio Symphony Orchestra (aka Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin). The groundbreaking partnership will seek to develop unprecedented artworks, interdisciplinary collaborations and new pedagogical frameworks for classical music production and performance exploration. 


At Catalyst we have fostered a reputation as rebellious outsiders, kicking against the somewhat ossified higher education system. Through progressive learning methods based on discovery and experimentation, we empower our students with critical thinking skills and the motivation to stretch boundaries and push the creative industries forward. 

The RSB x Catalyst project is an unprecedented opportunity to continue pushing our creative boundaries with the support of one of Berlin's most historically prominent institutes, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. During the GDR era the orchestra also operated from the Funkhaus before moving to the equally legendary venue in East Berlin, the Haus des Rundfunks, which is the world’s oldest self-contained broadcasting centre. Thus, the legacies of both institutions meet in this innovative creative partnership harmonising the old with the new.

"Classical music has much to offer and also much to learn," comments Clara Marrero, RSB General Manager. "The opportunity to work in partnership with an educational institution that is a leader in teaching a range of contemporary creative practices will open up and enrich the work we each do and allow us to forge new and unexpected approaches to the way we create and perform."

The range of participants is wide-ranging, spanning from Catalyst students, alumni and faculty, to orchestral musicians, composers, and conductors. Focusing on the role of human/technological interaction in spurring innovation between traditionally established and contemporary arts institutions, the goal of the partnership is to develop new artworks, interdisciplinary collaborations, and music pedagogical frameworks. 

"RSB are an open minded and progressive organisation who are reimagining how a 21st century orchestra creates, performs and connects to its audience," said David Louis Puttick, Catalyst Founder. "The creative learning community at Catalyst is home to the next generation of international electronic music producers and performers. Our partnership will create a crucible that fuses the strengths of each approach into an exciting new direction for classical music".  

In this two-pronged creative interplay, the Catalyst community will join the historic orchestra to curate interdisciplinary music events as part of the ‘Mensch, Musik!’ series, while classical and electronic music frameworks will unite in the unprecedented HyperSynth project.

In the fertile space between historical and progressive, the experimental partnership aims, year on year, to encourage a fruitful critical discourse between Catalyst’s students, alumni and faculty, and RSB’s orchestral musicians, composers and conductors, catalysing growth on all fronts. 

By uniting the expansive sonic innovation of electronic music with the established acoustic timbres of a classical orchestra, this groundbreaking partnership will undoubtedly kick-off a new chapter for Catalyst and provide a new realm of opportunities to grow our community's greatness. 

We look forward to sharing this exciting journey with you all. Stay tuned for details on the programme and tickets.

We're pleased to announce our official partnership with Berlin's iconic Radio Symphony Orchestra (aka Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin).

Fusing the contemporary and classical with RSB X Catalyst

What is a Master’s Research proposal? What should it contain?

Before filling in your application form we strongly advise you to get an initial overview on terms such as Artistic Research and Practice-based Research. These are contested terms, and not always simple to grasp, but you will understand what is expected  for a Masters level programme such as ours at Catalyst, which is explicitly structured around a practice-based artistic research framework.

In terms of “framework”,  the subject and contents of this framework are up to you to propose and determine, in negotiation with your MA supervisor. 

To guide you in preparing your MA project proposal and application, below you will find some useful definitions and discussions to consider. Feel free to go as far as you like! The discussions get more complex as they go down, but we will discuss such ideas in more depth on the course itself, especially at the beginning, to help you get going, design and initiate your project.

Research is: ‘a process of investigation, leading to new insights, that are effectively shared’.

According to David Gauntlett, practice-based researchers explore their research questions through practice. They have to make things and experiment, and that is a necessary and essential part of the research process. They couldn’t do their research without doing this hands-on creative work. Read more about practice-based research from Gauntlett here.  

In this short introductory video from artistic research specialist Ned McGowan, we dive deeper into the meaning of artistic research and what it means to be involved in this creative practice: 

Here is a quite sophisticated discussion of the methods and approaches you may want to consider with Dr Helen Kara from the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). 

Here are two more detailed discussions from peer-reviewed journals. Do you know what peer-reviewed means? If not, it is time to find out!

When asked about your inspiration we don’t just want to know that you love music or film, that is all fine but it really doesn’t tell us very much about who you are. 

We want to understand your motivation - what do you want to explore and communicate - how might this go further than your own work? 

You can engage with this how you like, but you might for example think of approaching this section as similar to a short Statement of Purpose. Here you will find some successful graduate school statement of purpose examples, expert tips, and strategies to help you create your own effective proposal.

“If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others?”  -Jennifer Jo Stokka, Catalyst MA student

We do want you to be creatively and practically engaged with music, sound, filmmaking or cinematography, but it is important that the project is not purely an artistic project; for example an album, film or a collection of songs. Pure artistic projects are great, but finishing a record is not the same as doing a Master’s degree. Similarly, it should not be purely an academic or technical project. So what else should it contain?

Ideally a question, or a clear point of initial focus. You can’t just say “emotion,” “film music,” "lighting" “finding my vision or sound,” "writing my story", “synaesthesia,” “improvisation”, or “using hardware for performance.'' You would need to tell us, for example, exactly what you mean by these terms, how they are useful to your project, what questions or problems you bring to the table and how you might address these questions via your artistic practice?

A research aspect. Yes, your project may itself already be a kind of research, but you would need to tell us how and why, and how you intend to take it further? 

Some idea of artistic context. E.g. what other artists or artistic currents might have explored similar ideas, can you locate your project in history? 

A broader context, for example, social, technological, philosophical, political. Music is never just music. Film is never just film. How might your project interact with the wider world of ideas? 

A proposed process of investigation - i.e. a method, a research process. Clue, don’t just say you will read a lot. What will you read? Why?

Tell us why you want to do this as a Master’s degree, rather than just something you are interested in. And why at Catalyst?


We hope that you have found these descriptions and ideas helpful! If you missed our Project Proposal workshops, you are welcome to request a recording by reaching out to our Admissions team. Once you submit your application along with your project proposal, you will receive feedback on whether your chosen direction is suitable for the framework we provide. 

Giude for Artistic Research and Practice-based Research within the framework of our Creative Production Masters (M.A) programme at Catalyst.

What is a Master’s research proposal and what should it contain?

We reflect on a powerful recent Creative Production MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by award-winning Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

At Catalyst, we believe storytelling is one of the most powerful means to inspire, influence, teach, connect and ultimately drive change. And there are few storytelling mediums that can transport us into the moment and leave a lasting impression like film. Êxtase, the award-winning film by Brazilian director Moara Passoni – the co-author and producer of Petra Costa's Academy Award-nominated film The Edge of Democracy – is a striking example of how weaving personal stories into the wider societal narrative can encourage, en masse, important new perspectives on often misunderstood topics. 

Êxtase is an elliptical essay portrait of a young girl experiencing both rapture and torture, starving herself as a way to find a place in a brutal uncertain world. Moara Passoni “transmutes a young Brazilian woman's experience of anorexia into images and thoughts of almost ecstatic beauty. Against the backdrop of political and social upheaval in 1990s Brazil, and interweaving memories of her own adolescence with those of other women, Passoni goes beyond pop-culture conventions and the sensationalizing of eating disorders to meditate on the dissolution and perfection of the self, the modernist architecture of Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia, the meaning of Humpty Dumpty, and what she calls ‘the geometry of hunger’.”

We were honoured to host Passoni for a guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, as part of our Creative Production MA Modern Cinematic Perspectives Workshop. Students from all of our film courses, as well as alumni, were invited to view Êxtase and take part in a Q&A with the director. 

“Moara's film, and the discussion we shared about the film after viewing, shattered my preconceived notions and the stereotypes around women who have experienced Anorexia,” reflects MA student Jenny Jo Stokka. “Her film beautifully explores the psychological and emotional complexities of a condition that most of society overlooks as merely a problem of vanity. The way Moara wove together real-world stories of women who have lived with Anorexia –  along with her own personal story – helped to highlight the unique and varied ways that one can experience and process the trauma of an eating disorder.” 

First-year Film Production student, Mia-Maria Schanz, learnt from Êxtase how architecture can play a big part in the character’s narrative. “It was also nice to hear how the team managed to produce a hybrid documentary while still using an organic filming process,” she says.

“Passoni’s art brings a fresh way to produce, teaching us how to write not only with words but with images in a very courageous and modern way,” reflects Patricia Gomes, senior foreign correspondent at Wall Street International Magazine. “Through this session, Moara, ‘provoked’ me, woke me up and invited me to leave my comfort zone. The session was a great encouragement to restart and pursue my goal to produce and to film.”

We reflect on a Film MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Exploring Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Just as photography is said to capture souls, film, as a moving, multi-angled, image, has the power to peer into the centre of a subject’s personality, revealing both the seen and the unseen. As Creative Production Film Masters student, Jennifer Jo Stokka, puts it, “Cinema allows the audience a direct view into the psyche.” What better way to explore the conscious and unconscious realms of the Self than through a combination of documentary and fictional film?

In her practice-based research project, Jennifer aims to capture an original version of character studies in a hybrid documentary film, by utilising Jungian methods of analysis. The project will examine three unique individuals and how they navigate their everyday realities using the documentary observational mode. Meanwhile, fictional sequences will showcase unconscious elements of each subject’s psyche – namely, dreams, fantasies and spirituality. The goal of the film is to ask the audience to reflect on their own psyches and forms of Self-expression. Jennifer is harnessing the creative autonomy afforded by our unconventional MA programme to explore her vision to the fullest.

Are you currently putting together your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Jennifer’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Need some guidance on how to put together your project proposal? Reach out to our Admissions team for a recording of our latest online workshop with programme lead, Jon-Carlos Evans.

How did you come up with the idea for this project? 

I have always been interested in documentaries, as well as character studies. However, in early 2020, I happened to see two films within the same month that set me on the path to this project: Close Up by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami; and, Whose Utopia? by Chinese visual artist Cao Fei. Viewing these films and, subsequently, learning about their constructions, presented to me a new way of seeing the documentarian-subject relationship. I was inspired by the level of autonomy given to the subjects in each film, and the ways in which the directors allowed the subjects to express themselves. I knew I wanted to make a film that followed similar principles, and I also had a strong desire to make an intimate character study. Finally, I settled on the hybrid film format, as: 1) It would give me the freedom to show the subject in various lights and facets; and, 2) it would allow me to flex multiple filmmaking muscles, as many skills are required to complete the different parts of the hybrid film. 

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore psychological themes?

The struggle to understand one’s Self is a universal truth – every human experiences this for at least part, if not all, of life. Cinema (and I would also argue Theatre) allows the audience a direct view into the psyche of another for (roughly) two uninterrupted hours, whether it’s a real human subject in a documentary or a character in a fictional film. We all become psychologists and anthropologists when we sit down to watch a film. 

What are your influences within documentary and fictional filmmaking?

So many! To name a few: Abbas Kiarostami (doc & fiction), John Cassavettes (fiction), Agnés Varda (doc & fiction), William Greaves, (doc), Kirsten Johnson (doc), Kelly Reichhardt (fiction), and basically anyone who is trying to do something original in order to uncover a new facet of truth. 

How have you planned out your creative process?

Much of my process is improvisational, which is both a blessing and a curse. I am a meticulous planner by nature, so many of the logistical aspects of filmmaking come quite easily to me. However, there are many creative and aesthetic ideas that I simply cannot plan ahead of time and must figure out in the moment through play and collaboration. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to documentary filmmaking, as it allows for more spontaneity than scripted formats. 

“I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria”

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea? 

The works of Carl Jung, especially his works that deal with accessing the unconscious mind through dream analysis and Active Imagination. And, of course, the subject of my film will be my most valuable resource, as we will be working quite closely together in the construction of the fictional sequences of this film. 

Are there any tutors that have had an important impact on your process or experience so far?

Jon-Carlos, María, and Leandro have all given me quite valuable feedback and references along my journey. I am eternally grateful to all three. 

What was your creative background before starting the Catalyst MA?

I was a performer for many years with a focus on theatre in my teenage years and early twenties, and then shifted to improv and sketch comedy, as well as filmmaking, in my mid-twenties. Since 2019, my primary focus has been on filmmaking. 

Why did you feel this programme in particular was a good choice to pursue your creative goals?

I’m from the US and it seems that most film programs there are designed to teach you a rigid, traditional, studio-focused structure, which is fine for some, but I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria (i.e. genre-specific, meeting certain technical requirements, etc). 

“If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others?” 

Could you share something valuable that you have learnt or discovered through this MA so far?

Our first major deliverable in the first trimester was a three-minute autobiography. When we received the prompt for the project, I thought: “This is an impossible task. How can one summate their life in three minutes?” In retrospect, it was a genius assignment to have given us, especially at the start of our MA journeys. It forced us to think about which parts of ourselves most urgently need to be shared with the audience. This is a question that I think should be at the root of every new project for a filmmaker/director/writer/artist/etc. If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others? 

Also, this may be boring to some, but learning about budgeting, funding, and pitching has been quite valuable. These are tools that are ESSENTIAL for independent filmmakers. 

What would be your advice to those who are putting together their project proposals right now?

Don’t worry about having every single element of your pitch perfectly figured out at this stage. Things WILL change. Just know which core question(s) you are hoping to address with your work. For me, I knew I wanted to figure how I could personally use the elements of hybrid filmmaking to explore one individual’s identity. It wasn’t until later – after I’d already submitted my proposal to Catalyst – that I realised Jung’s work would play such a pivotal role in my project. And it wasn’t until even later that I knew who my subject would be, which again changed my approach to the project. So, establish your core question(s) and know your unique POV as a filmmaker, and then the rest will fall into place over time. 

“I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it.”

Play! Stimulating conversation! Learning from others! But also, I need to do the work – I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it. The truth – at least for me – is that inspiration comes more often, and more potently, when I sit down and do the work. 

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Jennifer Jo Stokka shares her ideas for her Jungian character studies inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Jennifer Jo Stokka on Her Cinematic Study of the Psyche

We chatted to Creative Film Production Masters student Alexandra Concordia about her spirituality-inspired project proposal, her influences in film and art, and the ecstasy of creation that she has dived into while developing her short film and immersive installation project at Catalyst. 

The creative process is all about making connections. It starts with an idea, which deepens and broadens until you find yourself, months later, in the centre of a labyrinthine rabbit hole, from which you can’t imagine ever resurfacing. Creativity is flowing joyfully into unfolding. It’s revelling in the aha-moments that propel your journey forwards, then backwards, then sideways, ahead to the beginning, and back to the end again. 

It is this ecstasy of creation that Creative Film Production MA student Alexandra Concordia has dived into since she embarked on her practice-based research project at Catalyst last year. Harnessing her wealth of traditional and contemporary art knowledge, she set out to portray, through a short film and an immersive installation, the feeling of religious transcendence that inspired so many of the paintings and sculptures she enjoys. The flexibility of our Masters project has allowed Alexandra the freedom to blaze her own creative trail, while receiving the mentorship and accountability required to fully develop her artistic voice.

Are you currently crafting your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Alexandra’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Above: 'The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia' by Raphael

The idea for this project came up about a year ago when I was applying to the MA at Catalyst. Initially, I was trying to come up with a short film that could visually represent an experience of transcendence through music. I was really inspired by a song by Philip Glass called ‘Vessels’. Then, serendipitously, through a series of coincidences, I started researching paintings and sculptures of women and depictions of female religious ecstasy and transcendence. 

When I applied for the MA, I decided that I would try to link these two interlinking themes by reinterpreting – or just inventing, at this point – the ecstasy of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. I wanted to tell her experience of ecstasy as an experience of spiritual transcendence, that develops visually through music as well. 

Since I applied, the project has just taken a complete life of its own, and has developed into an incredibly complex and layered project that I’m very excited about.

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore spiritual themes?

I thought film would be an interesting way to add more complexity and depth to the themes of spirituality, religion, faith and sacredness, which I had experienced in paintings and sculptures. I thought it would be a challenge to recreate a similar moment or story through moving images. I also believe that film in general can be a form of expression that is not only contemporary, but also incredibly human in the way that it’s able, stylistically and narratively, to explore themes.

Why did you opt to create both a short film and an immersive installation?

I was really interested in both visual mediums and their potential. I wanted to challenge myself to create content that would experiment with both types of filmmaking during my MA experience. As I developed my research proposal and project, I decided to use the short film to tell the story of spirituality and ecstasy, and the immersive installation to represent the more abstract, inner state of mind connected to the theme. 

What are your influences within film and art?

At this point, my influences within film and art are quite extensive and interconnected. I come from an art history background; I’ve been formed by Old Masters, Renaissance and Baroque art traditions. I’ve also worked in contemporary art, so I have a wide knowledge and interest in contemporary painting and sculpture, as well as contemporary video art. 

With film, it all feeds in. I have a great appreciation for a huge range of film directors, from documentary film to narrative film. At the moment, the directors I’m most inspired by are the likes of Andrei Tarkovsky, Pawel Pawlikowski and Carlos Reygadas. I’ve also been incredibly influenced by female directors such as Agnes Varda and Chantal Akerman. I guess the list always keeps evolving, and I’m constantly influenced by everything I watch, so it’s quite wide-ranging and a constant process.

"The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering."

The creative process is something that is constantly fed into – whether you’re learning about post-production, pre-production, scriptwriting, or narrative storytelling, or you’re just reading a book, watching films, or listening to music. Everything just feeds into everything. 

Luckily, the MA at Catalyst makes you really structure your work, as if developing your project were your actual job. You are held highly accountable for how you structure your work, how you hand in deadlines, and how you think about your projects. I’ve spent the past few months doing stylistic research. Now, I’m focusing more on narrative and technical research for the script and story development. Then, I will spend the next few months in pre-production and filming.

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea?

My tools and resources are very diverse and all-encompassing. My research spans academic and creative sources. On one side, I’m researching religion, spirituality and mystical experiences of ecstasy. And on the other side, I’m watching films, studying other directors and their stylistic storytelling techniques, and exploring camera work through test shoots.

All three of my tutors at Catalyst have had an incredibly important impact on my process and experience. I’m very lucky to have such supportive tutors, who not only inspire me, but also provide great external support for developing my ideas. Maria, Jon-Carlos and Leandro are all equipped with different backgrounds and different personalities, but very much feel like both mentors, and also colleagues, in this filmmaking journey.

I studied politics and economics as an undergraduate, then went on to study art history, before working in art galleries for four years. This MA is my first creative endeavour, and the first time I’m leading my own research.

"I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance."

This programme was a very good choice to pursue my creative goals. I felt like, although I had a lot of enthusiasm and ideas, I was in a place where I was really missing both the theoretical and the practical skills to fully develop the film projects that I wanted to create. I wanted to find my own voice, message and style, and cultivate my independence – figuring out what I wanted to say and do, and where I wanted to go.

I feel like Catalyst, and this programme in particular, gives you a complete, all-encompassing look at the film industry and all of the possibilities within it. It also lets you tailor your experience and your project. I like the fact that it’s all based on your independent project, and that it’s independently led. You are very much deciding where you want to go and what you gain from it. That’s what interested me the most.

The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering. It makes you take what you do and what you develop very seriously as an actual profession, and I have found that incredibly valuable and stimulating. It gives you the confidence to take your time, effort and choices as seriously as you possibly can. That’s amazing, as it all starts from you. No one’s going to tell you what to do in life, and no one’s going to take you seriously until you take yourself seriously. That’s what Catalyst has shown me so far.

My advice is to really trust the process, trust your movement within the process, and keep going no matter what. Everyone’s work is personal, so always look into yourself for answers, for comfort, confidence, and courage. Keep moving forward and things will always figure themselves out.

The sense that the deeper you dig, the more that comes out of it. Right now, I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance. This sense of movement is something that really keeps my creativity going, and definitely makes me feel like every step I make in a certain direction has meaning and is important to the whole process.

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Alexandra Concordia discusses her ideas for her spirituality-inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Alexandra Concordia on the Ecstasy of Creation

Dive deeper into the immersive emerging art movement that fuses visual effects and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

What’s the formula for an artistic movement? New technology multiplied by accessibility to the masses. From screen-printing technology came pop art, and from digital tools comes our current obsession with VFX-fuelled immersive experiences. With the power to elevate any art form, visual effects are providing a new dimension of creative expression. In fact, as the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds become less and less distinct, so too do the lines between art forms. In an immersive space – or installation – audio, visuals and motion are not to be examined separately, but as a combined experience that influences our perception. 

Catalyst’s Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation programme is built for this movement, encouraging creators to forge their own future with such diverse skills as filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, 3D animation, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, installation and interactive art. With VFX artists, filmmakers, screen actors, electronic musicians and sound engineers all under one roof, our international community is also the perfect melting pot for interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Our annual community showcase, Signals Festival 2021, placed our resident artists on Berlin’s new frontier of immersive art, otherwise occupied by such pioneering events as our recent partner, CTM Festival. Among the vibrant programme of performances, installations, screenings and dialogues, were two VFX-driven works: Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum’s performative dance installation, Embodied, and Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani’s audiovisual performance Ignes Fatui. Scroll down to learn more about these exceptional art pieces.

Header image: Embodied, performative installation by Matthieu Schmit and Marlee Weinberg at Signals Festival 2021. Photo by Rita Couto.

Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum

Marlee Weinberg & Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum Present 'Embodied' at Signals Festival 2021

It was only a matter of time until Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Certificate alumna Marlee Weinberg would combine her dance and VFX talents in a performance at Catalyst. In fact, when we interviewed her in early 2020, she cited the dance piece, GLOW, as the mind-blowing synthesis of technology and contemporary dance that inspired her to pursue VFX. Our multidimensional course became the perfect playground for her ambitions. 

At Signals Festival, she collaborated with programme lead Matthieu Schmit, founder of the GhostRaum production studio, to create their stunning performative installation, Embodied, which revolved around a narrative of incarnation. Matthieu used TouchDesigner to create the organic visuals, and interestingly, though he was creating an artificial realm, the creative process didn’t feel as artificial as you might think. “The language of nature is mathematics and code is also mathematics,” he tells us. “So it’s very interesting to recreate nature elements for code, because there’s a direct fit and it’s really organic.”

Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani

Imaginaria & Alessandro Adriani Present 'Ignes Fatui' at Signals Festival 2021

Club closures over the past couple of years have made room for more conceptual and immersive takes on electronic music. At the forefront of the movement in Berlin are events such as CTM Festival 2022, where audiovisual installations further cultivated our desire for multisensory electronic music experiences. A couple of months earlier, at Signals Festival, Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation tutor Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and music producer, DJ and Mannequin Records director Alessandro Adriani showcased the potential of audiovisual art for emergent interactive storytelling.

Their project, Ignes Fatui, (Latin for ‘will-o’-the-wisp) interprets folklore tales about the light phenomenon caused by organic decay. “The concept is to create these audiovisual illusions that are uncatchable and constantly changing,” Paulina explains. “Our performances are never the same. We usually perform live and every time it’s a different one. So it’s an interesting challenge to design a new performance; to coordinate music, narrative, soundscapes and visuals.” 

As we saw in her collaboration last year with IDM duo Soft Crash, Paulina crafts her visuals with VR sculptors, whereas Alessandro works with analog synthesisers and samplers. 

Dive into the emerging art movement that fuses VFX and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

Visual Effects and the Future of Performing Arts 

Interested in teaming up with Catalyst students or alumni? Got an opportunity you think might benefit our community? Here’s what you need to know.

Reflecting the professional industry, our music, film, acting and VFX institute is oiled by collaboration – from the micro level of group work to the interdisciplinary macro level – keeping ideas flowing, projects turning and connections building. Need a filmmaker for your music video, a soundtrack for your film, an actor to motion detect in our green screen studio? How about crewmates, bandmates, event buddies, or colleagues? Everything is possible. 

You needn’t be at Catalyst to collaborate with our students or alumni. Everyone carries a piece of the puzzle – the more connections we make and the more projects we share, the closer we come, as a thriving creative community, to the bigger picture. 

If you’d like to team up with our students or alumni, or if you have an opportunity you think would benefit our community, read on for more information on how to connect. 

If you’d like to connect with our Film Production, Screen Acting or Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation students, you are welcome to join our Catalyst: Crew Call Facebook group. This is a community for support, encouragement, collaboration, networking and constructive feedback (when it’s requested). In order to be accepted, you need to read the group rules and answer the questions correctly.

You have a project (please post the type of project, available/needed positions, shooting dates/locations, contact info, and any other useful information)

You are looking for a project (cast, crew, musicians, composers, producers etc; please post your portfolio/showreel/examples of work plus contact information)

You’d like feedback or ideas on a work in progress

You have a work or work experience opportunity (please make hours, working conditions and payment clear upfront)

You’d like to promote your work or an event that might be of learning or networking benefit to the community

You’d like to share the result of a collaboration formed in this group

Catalyst: Impulse Response is a collaboration hub for all music production, sound engineering and performance students at Catalyst Berlin – and anyone else who would like to connect and work with them. This is a community for support, encouragement, collaboration, networking and constructive feedback (when it’s requested). In order to be accepted, you need to read the group rules and answer the questions correctly.

You are looking for a project (please post your portfolio/showreel/examples of work plus contact information)

You have a work or work experience opportunity (please make hour, working conditions and payment clear upfront)

Interested in teaming up with Catalyst Berlin students or alumni? Got an opportunity you think might benefit our community? Find out more.

How to Collaborate With Our Students & Alumni

Budget-friendly food, accommodation assistance, access to workshops and creative spaces, and more! As of the 1st of April, we’re joining up with StudierendenWERK to give Catalyst students access to a wide range of extra living benefits and cultural opportunities.

We take care of the learning experience, studierendenWERK does the rest. To add even more value to the student experience at Catalyst, we’ve partnered with the governmental organisation for student affairs in Germany. studierendenWERK provides public services for the economic, social, medical and cultural support of students enrolled at German universities. In particular, they run university cafeterias and dormitories, and provide the BAföG program to finance studies with grants and loans (more details about funding here). These benefits – as well as a whole range of exciting training workshops, cultural opportunities, events and more – will be available to BA and MA students from the 1st of April, 2022.

You can find the full range of services on the studierendenWERK website. For updates, sign up to their newsletter. Scroll down for our overview of the benefits that we think will be most appreciated by our students.

Canteens and Coffee Bars ☕️🍽

From Monday to Friday, food trucks drive to studierenWERK’s various halls of residence and canteens all over the city (interactive map here, or download the Apple or Google apps). They’re loaded with delicious meals (including vegan), cakes, drinks, snacks and coffee specialties. Payment is made using studierendenWERK’s MensaCard, which is the payment method in all of their facilities. Other payment options are available for guests (non-students). 

Access to locations for creative projects

We Are Kulturwerk Berlin

Students will have access to several Kulturwerk Berlin locations to use for creative projects, as well as being able to regularly visit events and exhibitions. Kulturwerk Berlin also offers a cultural programme with free events and low-cost workshops. Students are invited to create content and get on stage, as well as make connections through their Get Together programme. Stay up to date with Kulturwerk Berlin’s events by subscribing to their newsletter.

The KUNSTRAUM project offers additional spaces at various locations throughout the city. Students can express themselves artistically with exhibitions, installations, performances and media works. There’s also the opportunity to get involved in international artist residencies, explore virtual projects, and take KUNSTRAUM creative courses.

studierenWERK’s free training workshops offer students the opportunity to deepen existing knowledge, develop new skills and put them into practice, while advisory services provide useful tips on tax, labour law and social security for students. For those who have to work during their studies, training courses are also offered to provide additional qualifications and knowledge and improve chances on the job market. Further easing the transition from study to career, events cover practical topics such as employment law, tax return tips and correspondence training.

Finding an apartment: the dormitory portal 🏙

Though the waiting list for studierenWERK’s affordable student housing can be lengthy, this is a potential option to consider for students who are enrolling in three-year Bachelor courses and wish to plan ahead. Here, you can also find a useful search tool for shared accommodation (WG) and sublets.

Counselling centres and workshops at studierendenWERK BERLIN

studierendenWERK counsels on financing studies, studying with children, academic writing and mental health. The organisation is also supports studying with special needs.

Catalyst Berlin student access to StudierendenWERK university services and benefits in Berlin, Germany

StudierendenWERK: Living Benefits For Catalyst Students

We’ve Teamed up With studierendenWERK on Student Living Benefits

This summer, join us in vibrant Berlin to set your creative career in motion. Find out more about our beginner and advanced short courses taught by industry veterans. 

Did someone say summer? If you’re hearing the call to be in Berlin in its greenest and greatest season – chilling at the riverside, partying in the parks, and connecting with one of the most vibrant communities in the world – then we’ve got the perfect excuse for you to visit. We offer a range of beginner and advanced summer short courses to kick-start or level up your creative career. 

Four intensive and transformational weeks of music production, studio recording, mixing and mastering, filmmaking or screen acting – taking place from the 20th of June to the 16th of July. By the time you pack your bags, you’ll not only be full of good vibes, but the skills and attitude to push forward into the next exciting chapter of your life. 

Guiding you on this exciting journey will be our passionate tutors, all practising professionals in their own industry and veterans of the local creative scene. Combining impressive vintage studios with state-of-the-art spaces and equipment, our iconic Funkhaus campus is the perfect place to inspire the imagination, make connections and, at the end of a hands-on day of learning, enjoy a riverside pizza!

If you wish to progress to a degree programme, but lack the formal educational requirements to apply through standard entry, our free Primer Workshops run alongside the summer short courses. As a bonus, we offer a 500€ discount for taking any short course in combination with a long course.

Don’t wait to create: Apply by our Priority Deadline of the 29th of April to secure your spot. Great news for non-EU residents: for this short stay in Germany, you won’t require a visa. Scroll down for our overview of each course.

Now’s your chance to throw yourself in the filmmaking deep end and shapeshift on set. Budding writers, directors, cinematographers and editors will learn the fundamentals of audiovisual storytelling, pre-production, working with actors and post-production. Begin to build a portfolio as you write, develop, shoot, edit and screen your own short film, and experience a range of other roles as you crew on the films of your peers. Our mentors have seen all sides of the industry – from directing experimental short films, commercials and documentaries to working in cutting-edge visual media.

Get in front of the camera, embody your character and grow your confidence in this hands-on crash course taught by our wildly experienced teaching cast of performing artists. From starring in films and theatre productions to voice and choreo, they’ve mastered it. Go deep into the script, hone a variety of techniques, collaborate on set and film a monologue in this contemporary acting springboard. Walk away with recorded material to produce your unique showcase. 

From Berghain regulars to modular synthesis nerds, learn from some of the Berlin scene’s most original veteran artists in this crash course in electronic music production. Covering all of the essentials – including the basic principles of sound, Ableton Live, recording instruments and operating hardware synths – the programme is the ideal launch pad for aspiring producers.

Know your way around a DAW, but interested in diving deeper into the nuts and bolts of sound design to develop a stronger sonic identity? Fluency in analog equipment and dynamism in digital make our tutors the perfect mentors for those aspiring to master production technology and go beyond into original artistry. 

Immerse yourself in the highly technical and creative world of sound engineering in this foundational four weeks, taught by sound artists who have rocked the world’s most prestigious studios for decades. Get to grips with the technical basics and discover the art of recording bands, soloists or electronic artists in a professional vintage recording studio environment.

Trust genre-straddling veteran producer Christopher Jarman, aka Kamikaze Space Programme’s pro skills and infectious enthusiasm to demystify the world of mixing and mastering and unveil the potential of sound. Develop a deeper understanding of the tools, techniques and thinking behind a well balanced, professional finished product and apply that knowledge in both commercial and home studio environments.

Beginner and advanced short courses taught by industry veterans: filmmaking, acting, electronic music, sound design, studio recording, mastering.

Learn About Our 4-Week Summer Short Courses

Level Up Your Skills This Summer in Our 4-Week Short Courses

Catalyst Education Lead, Jamie Thomas, was recently invited by trailblazing music production organisation, Santuri East Africa, to deliver a masterclass on our project-based learning model. 


At Catalyst, we put artistry front and centre, focusing on the real-world application of creative skills through project-based learning. It’s an educational model that is sure to make a profound impact on the creative industries in the years to come, and it doesn’t end at the boundaries of our Funkhaus campus. Part of our long-term mission is connecting with other progressive institutions around the world, so that we can break ground together in the forging of a new educational paradigm. 

Recently, we were thrilled to partner with Santuri East Africa, a Nairobi-based platform that supports East African music producers, DJs, sound engineers and other music industry professionals. Santuri offers training, workshops, recording projects, consultancy services, and events that promote and support local and international artists. Established with support from the Goethe-Institute's Jenga CCI programme, the Santuri Electronic Music Academy (SEMA) developed the Train the Trainer (TTT) project in collaboration with Jamie to enhance and refine their teaching methodology.

As part of this project, Catalyst Education Lead, Jamie Thomas, was invited by Santuri to provide detailed guidance and training on the project-based learning model, which he’s been instrumental in developing at our institute since the very beginning. He led a rigorous set of workshops, sharing his expertise of progressive teaching practices with 17 staff, tutors and artists from various musical disciplines. Santuri writes that there were numerous breakthrough moments. Not only did the participants find some useful tools to bring out their own creativity, but clarity on how to move forward with the beginner and advanced music production courses they are developing.

“I was enamored to have met such a diverse bunch of enthusiastic teachers, eager to learn and experiment with new ideas,” Jamie reflects. “The proposed framework took us on a journey through progressive education methodology, starting out by examining educational contexts and personal experience... Learning about the cohort’s past experiences of educational systems was a real highlight for me.”

Santuri director, David Tinning, says the course armed the organisation with “a tool box of imaginative approaches, projects and thought-provoking questions that will challenge our students to achieve new heights in their creativity. What’s more, our tutors, staff and the organization as a whole understand that learning is a process we all need to engage with. As Santuri proceeds to grow as the region’s most progressive, cutting-edge music education facility, it’s a road we are well equipped to navigate.” 

We’re so excited to see how Santuri implements these methodologies across their courses, and how the organisation will continue to impact and inspire East Africa’s electronic music scene. “I’d like to congratulate and thank everyone for their full engagement, hospitality and warm welcome throughout my time in Nairobi,” says Jamie. “It would have been nothing without your hard work, humor, humility and continued desire to learn. I hope I see you all again in the future and can’t wait to hear about your progress, both as music practitioners and as facilitators of learning!”

Catalyst founder, David Puttick, also extends his heartfelt thanks to Santuri for the opportunity: “Catalyst are building an international creative community and it's always been our intention that this community would extend way beyond the walls and grounds of the Funkhaus. So it's an absolute pleasure for us to have an opportunity to contribute to this exciting project both now and in the future.” 

Read more about the training on Santuri’s blog. 

Education Lead, Jamie Thomas, was invited to music production organisation, Santuri East Africa, to deliver a project-based-learning masterclass.

Catalyst Berlin Teams up With Santuri East Africa

Partners in Progressive Education: Catalyst Teams up With Santuri East Africa

Watch this beautiful video from our 2020 and 2021 graduation ceremony, with music by Electronic Music Production & Performance alumna Chantal Saroldi, aka Pnksand. 

Fond Memories From Our 2020 & 2021 Graduation Ceremony

Double the graduates, double the triumph. On our latest Graduation Day, which took place back in September, we had two sets of achievers to celebrate: the classes of 2020 and 2021. For those who, due to restrictions, had to wait a year to don their gowns and mortarboard hats, the day was also a firm reminder of their enduring place in the Catalyst community, despite the distance of recent times. As students became alumni, old classmates became future colleagues, and creative careers began an exciting new chapter. Press play on the video above, created by Canan Cengel, to relive the wonderful occasion, made even sweeter with music by Electronic Music Production & Performance Bachelor alumna, Chantal Saroldi: Pnksand - ‘Cosmo.’

“I felt so proud seeing all of my peers and friends going up the stage to get their certificates,” Screen Acting Bachelor alumna Milena Rendon reflected after the ceremony. “Knowing that, after that moment, my life and theirs had officially changed after three years was a bit nerve wracking. It is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. I am so excited to see what the future brings for all of us and thankful that I now have friends I can call my family. I am happy to start a new chapter full of new experiences and adventures but I will definitely miss all the amazing teachers and people at Catalyst with so much love and creativity to give. ⁠⁠Thanks to everyone! We did it!”

Milena’s former classmate Daniel Straube echoed her sentiment: “And just like that, one phase comes to its end, whereas another one starts. I feel immensely grateful and privileged for these three years of experience and for graduating as a screen actor. We discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other peoples’ models, be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open."⁠⁠

On our latest Graduation Day, which took place back in September, we had two sets of achievers to celebrate: the classes of 2020 and 2021.

Read all about it

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How to Collaborate With Our Students & Alumni

We’ve Teamed up With studierendenWERK on Student Living Benefits

Level Up Your Skills This Summer in Our 4-Week Short Courses

Partners in Progressive Education: Catalyst Teams up With Santuri East Africa

Fond Memories From Our 2020 & 2021 Graduation Ceremony

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