Read all about it

The latest from Catalyst. From student work and events, to news and think-pieces.

Catalyst news and stories

We're back with Season 3 of CAP Selects: a weekly series that puts the outstanding work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering Bachelor students at centre stage. Students are tasked with writing a seven-track album from scratch that meets a creative vision. An opportunity to explore any idea they choose - the only limitations to this brief is that two of the tracks must be collaborative and another two must be covers or reinterpretations of original work. Listen to and read about our season-three selections below.

We're back with Season 3 of CAP Selects: a weekly series that puts the outstanding work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering Bachelor students at centre stage. Students are tasked with writing a seven-track album from scratch that meets a creative vision. An opportunity to explore any idea they choose - the only limitations to this brief is that two of the tracks must be collaborative and another two must be covers or reinterpretations of original work

"My original idea for this album was to explore a new artistic side in me in order to create something danceable and energetic that DJ's can use for club sets. At the same time, I felt the urge to better understand electronic music and its structure in order to reinforce my arrangement skills. That's why my inspiration path led me back to the 80s of music. There would be no better era than that time to gather inspiration from and to create my own catchy melodies and exciting song structures.

I quickly got drawn in by big snares, analogue synthesizers, electronic basslines, and catchy vocals. And so, I began to think about how I could create a concept that would fuse the sound of the 80s with modern sounds and production techniques. That’s how my album concept was born: 80s meeting the future."

Head to the blog for more albums of the week: catalyst-berlin.com/stories/cap-selects-albums-s3

Find out more about our Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering courses at www.catalyst-berlin.com

CAP Selects: Albums S3 | Extraterrestrial by Numa by Etikett Radio

"My original idea for this album was to explore a new artistic side in me in order to create something danceable and energetic that DJ's can use for club sets. At the same time, I felt the urge to better understand electronic music and its structure in order to reinforce my arrangement skills. That's why my inspiration path led me back to the 80s of music. There would be no better era than that time to gather inspiration from and to create my own catchy melodies and exciting song structures.

I quickly got drawn in by big snares, analogue synthesizers, electronic basslines, and catchy vocals. And so, I began to think about how I could create a concept that would fuse the sound of the 80s with modern sounds and production techniques. That’s how my album concept was born: 80s meeting the future." 

Season 3 of CAP Selects: a weekly series that puts the outstanding work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering Bachelor students at centre stage. Students are tasked with writing a seven-track album from scratch that meets a creative vision. An opportunity to explore any idea they choose - the only limitations to this brief is that two of the tracks must be collaborative and another two must be covers or reinterpretations of original work

"I often think about what it means to grow toward the light without shielding it from others. It requires a great deal of questioning patterns and reflecting on the roles I willingly take as well as the roles I have been given. In societies made of social constructs telling us who we are and who we can be, this questioning has led me to a deep well of freedom and uncertainty. These feelings push me to the language of music.

While writing and recording my album, Bent to Fit, I was thinking about how some relationships have completely changed the way I see the world. Bent to Fit is not only an exploration of these relationships but also of my relationship to myself. I am interested in how they reinforce and affect one another. There is a reason we are drawn to the people we are drawn to, and I enjoy pondering these subconscious attractions. I have identified parts of myself, positive and negative, through witnessing them in others, and through witnessing my own countering reactions."

Head to the blog for more albums of the week: catalyst-berlin.com/stories/cap-selects-albums-s3

Find out more about our Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering courses at www.catalyst-berlin.com

CAP Selects: Albums S3 | Bent to Fit by Antonia Estelle by Etikett Radio

"I often think about what it means to grow toward the light without shielding it from others. It requires a great deal of questioning patterns and reflecting on the roles I willingly take as well as the roles I have been given. In societies made of social constructs telling us who we are and who we can be, this questioning has led me to a deep well of freedom and uncertainty. These feelings push me to the language of music.

While writing and recording my album, Bent to Fit, I was thinking about how some relationships have completely changed the way I see the world. Bent to Fit is not only an exploration of these relationships but also of my relationship to myself. I am interested in how they reinforce and affect one another. There is a reason we are drawn to the people we are drawn to, and I enjoy pondering these subconscious attractions. I have identified parts of myself, positive and negative, through witnessing them in others, and through witnessing my own countering reactions."

Dimensia is a Cinematic Trailer Music concept album, written in FL Studio 20, following the story of a daughter whose father's dementia is getting more severe every day (song) that passes. Dimensia is a conjuction (portmanteau) of the two separate words dementia and dimension. In the album you will hear re-occurring motifs, themes and phrases in alternative variations that resemble the symptoms of dementia.

Telling a story through nonvisual content can be quite challenging. However, I believe that this is a great way to present a story through audio but also for making it clear to the listener that these songs are connected. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do but have never attempted before.

Felix Jansson - Dementia by Etikett Radio

"Dimensia is a Cinematic Trailer Music concept album, written in FL Studio 20, following the story of a daughter whose father's dementia is getting more severe every day (song) that passes. Dimensia is a conjuction (portmanteau) of the two separate words dementia and dimension. In the album you will hear re-occurring motifs, themes and phrases in alternative variations that resemble the symptoms of dementia.

Telling a story through non-visual content can be quite challenging. However, I believe that this is a great way to present a story through audio but also for making it clear to the listener that these songs are connected. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do but have never attempted before. "

Season 3 of CAP Selects: a weekly series that puts the outstanding work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering Bachelor students at centre stage. Students are tasked with writing a seven-track album from scratch that meets a creative vision. An opportunity to explore any idea they choose - the only limitations to this brief is that two of the tracks must be collaborative and another two must be covers or reinterpretations of original work.

"The origins of the concept towards this album emerge from the neurotic observation that all elements in a piece of music correlate together not only harmonically but also, somehow, magnetically. As waves, wind currents, or volcanic eruptions have proven effects on the magnetic field of precise locations, elements in music have the same kind of effect between each other as well as towards humans and what they perceive acoustically and emotionally. This consistent observation triggered the vision, the concept and the focus of this resulting insightful album.

Within this collection of pieces, the main center of attention was to work with raw elements, most often related to electricity, wind and more generally nature, to create a permanent spirit of morphing texture layers emphasizing the sense of attractive poles and parallelism."

Head to the blog for more albums of the week: catalyst-berlin.com/stories/cap-selects-albums-s3

Find out more about our Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering courses at www.catalyst-berlin.com

CAP Selects: Albums S3 | Matter & Magnetism by Etikett Radio

"The origins of the concept towards this album emerge from the neurotic observation that all elements in a piece of music correlate together not only harmonically but also, somehow, magnetically. As waves, wind currents, or volcanic eruptions have proven effects on the magnetic field of precise locations, elements in music have the same kind of effect between each other as well as towards humans and what they perceive acoustically and emotionally. This consistent observation triggered the vision, the concept and the focus of this resulting insightful album.

Within this collection of pieces, the main center of attention was to work with raw elements, most often related to electricity, wind and more generally nature, to create a permanent spirit of morphing texture layers emphasizing the sense of attractive poles and parallelism."

Season 3 of CAP Selects: a weekly series that puts the outstanding work of our second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering Bachelor students at centre stage. Students are tasked with writing a seven-track album from scratch that meets a creative vision. An opportunity to explore any idea they choose - the only limitations to this brief is that two of the tracks must be collaborative and another two must be covers or reinterpretations of original work.

"My album is a soundtrack to a life from birth to death highlighting specific experiences to tell a story which is open to interpretation. It is not about any one specific person, but the hope is that the listener will relate to the ‘main character.’ The individual tracks are not necessarily meant to force the listener to feel the given emotions or experiences, though I hope to have achieved that to some extent as well. Rather, they convey the complicated journeys one takes to express, come to terms with, or to mature through the inevitable struggles one is faced with throughout life. If there is one constant theme throughout the album it would be just that; struggle."

Head to the blog for more albums of the week: catalyst-berlin.com/stories/cap-selects-albums-s3

Find out more about our Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering courses at www.catalyst-berlin.com

CAP Selects: Albums S3 | Beyond Myself by Nicholas Schuman by Etikett Radio

"My album is a soundtrack to a life from birth to death highlighting specific experiences to tell a story which is open to interpretation. It is not about any one specific person, but the hope is that the listener will relate to the ‘main character.’ The individual tracks are not necessarily meant to force the listener to feel the given emotions or experiences, though I hope to have achieved that to some extent as well. Rather, they convey the complicated journeys one takes to express, come to terms with, or to mature through the inevitable struggles one is faced with throughout life. If there is one constant theme throughout the album it would be just that; struggle."

Check out Season 3 of showcase albums by our Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering students. Listen to our album of the week.

Albums by Berlin's Emerging Artists

CAP Selects S3: Listen to Our Student Albums of the Week

Student showcase exploring interactive visual effects techniques

Today we're celebrating three projects from our Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation courses that sparked our imagination. In the showcase video you'll hear from three students and VFX tutor Matthieu Schmit (from GhostRaum), and get a glimpse of how we help students take ideas and develop them into finished and interactive projects.

In his project titled Formula, Oguz Karakose enjoyed learning about real time rendering while exploring the idea of freedom within emotional expression. Formula uses TouchDesigner, a visual development platform that allows you to create stunning realtime projects and rich user experiences such as interactive media systems, architectural projections, live music visuals and more.

Savina Janssen’s Cubic Dream helps reconnect individuals with nature through motion detection technology. Using TouchDesigner and Microsoft Kinect Azure, which allowing users to interact intuitively without any intermediary devices, visitors can play and interact with Savina's dreamy flower based particle system.

Finally, Ethan Ho’s Paths Cross took inspiration from the process of mixing ink and creating paintings. Using TouchDesigner and a projector as a canvas, Microsoft's Kinect sensor maps each body's movement, turning the participants into a brush. Paths Cross allowed visitors to use the installation to collaborate in creating a unique work of digital art together.

Catalyst interactive VFX projects showcase

More on our VFX, Digital Arts & Animation courses

Showcase of 3 VFX & animation projects. Watch a video of how our students learn visual effects and work towards getting a career in vfx.

Visual Effects project showcase

Three student VFX projects that put our wheels in motion

For those asking "is screenwriting a good career", here's eight games where the writing elevates this type of digital art.

Who said you have to have a boring job? On our 1- and 3-year Higher Education Screenwriting courses we set you up for success, ready for the full range of media industries requiring aspiring writers like you. Today, more than ever, the film and TV industries are capable of setting new fashion trends and igniting social discourse. However, screenwriting doesn’t end when the credits of your favourite film or series start rolling. Today, we’re taking a moment to celebrate a media blossoming into its own, video games. 

Video games may have started as graphics and gameplay but in the modern age, the scripts behind them are crafting beautiful storylines, providing characters of depth and giving us language with which to discuss challenging topics. By any measure, video games are transforming the film industry. That’s why we’re taking inspiration from the Catalyst Film Awards, and giving due praise to some brilliant games. The only entry requirement for these awards - the games have to implement great writing or use of words that sparked the imagination of those that played the games.

Disco Elysium is one of the highest-rated games released during the 2010s, with the game centred entirely around dialogue. A role playing game with excellent writing, Disco Elysium is a murder-mystery with an amnesiac police officer as the protagonist. The way in which language leads this game sets it apart from other competition, and the narrative is widely compared to classical literature rather than other video games. Written by Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz, the storyline explores everything from disco, drugs and sex through to politics and dystopia into a well thought out and in-depth role playing mechanic.

Don’t just take our word for it, Disco Elysium won many awards, including Best Narrative at The 2019 Game Awards, and Best Narrative at the 2020 BAFTA Game Awards.

This award raises the interesting debate gaining traction in entertainment - how video games are transforming the film industry. Using the performance capture technology that brought us Andy Serkis’ Gollum in The Lord of the Rings (and later Benedict Cumberbatch’s Smaug in the Fellowship of the Ring) an entire performance can be recorded and mapped onto your favourite video game characters.

While Death Stranding earns an honourable mention for its star cast including Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and Léa Seydoux, it is Christopher Judge’s performance in God of War Ragnarök that takes home the prize. Writters Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog also received awards for Best Videogame Writing Category at the WGA for God of War in 2019. This short behind the scenes video gives an glimpse of how Judge gives every bit of himself to the role, elevating the God of War series from what was once a basic platform game, in which progression was measured by the size of the monster being battled, to an insightful tale of growing up that many teenagers will relate to on a personal level.

VFX, Digital Arts & Animation LABS - 2nd year workshops (2021)

An absolute masterpiece that revamps post-apocalyptic zombie survival, adding an immersive narrative that players can not help but be pulled into - The Last of Us doesn’t just create relationships between characters, but also with the player themselves. The emotional core of the game is based around the evolving link between the two main characters - Joel and Ellie. It is the plot that puts this game in a league of its own, with Joel’s father like protection serving as a narrative cornerstone.

In 2014 Neil Druckmann, now co-president of Naughty Dog, accepted an award from Writers Guild of America for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games. Three and a half years in the making, many fans throughout the web believe this game deserved much more recognition for the writing.

In 2023, perhaps it will get the Oscar that many claim it deserves, as it is released on HBO in TV series format, staring Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel.

While Silent Hill 2’s abstract monsters, designed by Takayoshi Sato - which you could be forgiven for thinking were generated by AI software that doesn’t understand how many limbs a human has - are a intriguing feature, the game tells a haunting story of a world manifesting off the protagonist’s inner demons.  As with The Last of Us, the best horror games are those with realistic characters, who’s flaws or imperfections aid in portraying them as genuine human beings.

Written by Hiroyuki Owaku and Sato, Silent Hill 2 is a psychological horror rather than all gore and fright, the narrative led game with multiple endings was at odds with the trends in video games at the time. This approach came to define the possibilities of game narrative for future titles in the genre.

College dropout Mae Borowski returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs, seeking to pick up her directionless former life. But her hometown has changed dramatically. Mae is sucked into an unlikely adventure, rekindling former relationships and creating new ones. Night in the Woods also concerns itself with serious topics, such as stages of early adulthood, the challenge of a loss of a relationship or mental health issues like depression. Mae works through her issues through the relationships she forms. Written by Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry, this game will make you laugh, cry and if you have anything in common with the protagonist, may lead to some deep introspection.

The Sims, and it’s internal language Simlish, has a special place in our heart. The language was born out of technical needs, as developers would need 6 discs of dialogue per language to fill the game, and the makers still believed it would get repetitive. Will Wright's creative solution was to making their own language captured the imagination of many players.

In 2023, Simlish is making a comeback, with some trending online making renditions of early naughties pop tracks in the gobbledygook language - #simlish.

Matt DesLauries' online game Wayfinder is highly impressive from a technical perspective, and the digital wizardry is celebrated widely through multiple awards. Wayfinder gets a special mention here, because it puts the words in the hands of the player. The game is “an expression of our connectedness to the natural world”. It allows us to explore the poetry of nature while renewing a damaged ecosystem . Released by National Film Board of Canada, the game uses generative art and highlights the action/reaction relationship we have as humans with nature.

The back end's use of cutting edge technology like machine learning is paired with a beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic. In this game you can explore and create poetry, generated algorithmically and individual to each visit with near infinite possibilities.  Or find some respite by simply float aimlessly through a world and listen to the birds singing through your speakers, reconnecting you with the natural world through a digital portal. Wayfinder has received nine awards, including two Awwwards 

Final Fantasy XII is set in a fantasy world in which empires wage endless wars, later re-released as Final Fantasy XII - the Zodiac Age. A quintessential underdog tale, small-time protagonists go on to become champions of their kingdom. Originally, this chapter of the Final Fantasy series was a close call for receiving the Best Dialogue award - reflecting the incredible graphics and art direction based on the Classic Era, the dialogue in this game progresses like a classical play. Character interactions don’t take a back seat in this game, but rather drive the game forwards.

Final Fantasy XII received several awards and nominations, but what ignited our fires the most here at Catalyst was the diversity of awards, including two nominations for Best Original Score, written by Hitoshi Sakimoto - one of the most sought out composers in the video games industry. The Final Fantasy series brings a highly collaborative and holistic approach to their storytelling - whether that means employing orchestras to make the soundtrack or developing their fantasy world to feature length films.

Our new Music and Sound Design for Visual Media courses prepare students in the music school for exactly this variety of projects. As your peers learn to become audio storytellers, on the Screenwriting courses you will be suppling the narrative and structure that defines those audio stories. In our creative production powerhouse, you'll learn within a curriculum that pushes for community and collaboration.

At Catalyst we'll provide you the tools and understanding you need to apply yourself to the multifaceted demands of writing for media industries. What better place to learn than a school in which you'll be within arms reach of up and coming visual effects specialists, broad minded musicians, film production students and actors ready to step onto the set.

We've come a long way since Mario first saved Princess Peach. In today's industry, it takes clever visual thinkers to come up with dialogue and scenarios that will keep gamers engaged for hours at a time. Thrilling action, adventure and interactive games can all be elevated from a fun way to spend time, to a classic that will live in the minds of those that played the game for years to come. Often that difference is crafted story.

Study Screenwriting at Catalyst - Ideate and deliver scripts that transcend

We’ll teach you how to become a screenwriter and career paths in screenwriting. Keep reading the Catalyst top 8 Screenwriting for Games Awards

Screenwriting for Games; Best Acting, Narrative, Script & More

Our top picks for writing excellence in the video game industry

We're still buzzing from this year's edition of Signals Festival, our annual showcase and gathering of creative communities from Catalyst and beyond. Here are some of the highlights from the event's live performances, installations, screenings, workshops and in-depth dialogue.

While annual events like the Catalyst Film Awards highlight student film and acting projects internally, films screened at Signals Festival sit within the larger community: alongside the industry’s rising stars, tutors and award winning teams. Screenings included the Catalyst Presents sessions, in which tutors and alumni submitted work that addressed the festival’s theme, such as Stephanie LeBolt’s dance film “Lady in White”, that put a feminist twist on a classic German fairytale or “Vaugahyde”, Adam Munning’s portal into the Berlin underground queer scene. Two independent festivals with international audiences - the Berlin Student Film Festival and LA Fashion Festival - both turned up with full programmes of prizewinning films from their festivals. A Signals Festival first this year was the addition of performing arts to the roster - Shanice Trustfull‘s live monologue Digital Flora unfolded the growth of social disconnection caused by the increased use of social media.

"The audience was both curious in the process and engaged in the message of the film" 

A key moment from the screenings was the Portuguese feature length film HARD PAINT by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon. The intimate and erotic narrative of a cam boy’s online and offline personas was followed by a Q&A session with the writer/directors. The session brought light to the motivations and some challenges faced by them in producing this highly acclaimed film. “The audience was very present and were asking questions up to the last minute. They were both curious in the process and engaged in the message of the film. It was a delight to discuss the film like this”

Eight site-specific installations probed this year's theme from different angles. John Waldron used a pre-digital collection of artefacts to grieve the passing of a medium in “Gitti’s Wake” and drawing connections to human behaviour in pre-digital times. The festival chill-out zone was enhanced by Inphloxication and Bureau Klas Alman’s living sculpture that combined CGI and floral art. Meanwhile, on the first floor people queued throughout the festival to experience their body becoming a stage on which a concert is played in Nina Pixel and Ground Tactics’ Vibrational Hyper-Stimulations. 

Tamas Marquetant teamed up with Sebastian Dürer to present Haze Shifting - open ended and interactive, Haze Shifting was a meditative practice, a critical listening tool and a play with functions, roles and hierarchies within a studio environment. Full of contemporary references for an internet savvy audience, this installation captured the imagination of first year student Pedro Freitas, “I feel I’ve discovered new boundaries by seeing how creative the audio scene can be. Looking at [Haze Shifting], it’s like I have permission to just do crazy things and experiment with audio”.

Over both days, industry heads and recognised organisations hosted eight separate workshops. Covering a range of topics including; “Art of DJing” with Un:seen collective, “Sound for FMOD” with the creators of Harold Hailbut, and “Introduction to spatial sound” delivered by our Funkhaus neighbours Monom. We were glad to welcome back alumni Felipe Vareschi and Enyang Urbiks for sold out workshops, addressing workflows in field recordings [Vareschi] and mastering [Urbik]. “Most of all I enjoyed learning about the mindset and philosophy behind mastering. The workshop has helped me give words to concepts”, said Nilgün Gül, a music student and Signals team member who attended Enyang’s workshop. 

Another workshop that filled all the available spots was “Improvising Live with Lady Starlight”, in which live techno icon Lady Starlight returned to Catalyst to join alum Sarah Kivi to lead a live improvised jam session featuring a Theremini and Grandmother from Moog alongside a host of Elektron and Korg equipment. Also in the jam were Akkamiau, Peter Kirn, The Allegorist and Catalyst alum VIBKO. While there were many moments of note, watching the room of engaged musicians enjoying themselves made the workshop a very special experience.

The Allegorist turned up for more than just the session with Lady Starlight - the multidisciplinary artist also talked through her far reaching artistic vision during an open discussion into her creative process, hosted by Peter Kirn of CDM. A musician and visual artist with training in oil painting, the talk was essential listening for artists who move between disciplines. In the early afternoon on the following day, the floor opened to a panel discussion that put the festival’s theme at the centre of discussion. Over the course of the chat, Gozi, Portrait XO, Sam Madhu and moderator Caren Miesenberger talked about going viral, battling mental health issues within social media and much more. 

Ahead of her phenomenal “New Music Syntax (in testing)” live set, techno artist Kyoka had a deeply insightful conversation hosted by Beate Kunath. The talk was framed by Kunath’s documentary RAW CHICKS.BERLIN about womxn in electronic music, which came out seven years ago. Very fittingly, Kyoka spoke about how taking time to reflect was an essential part of her process. With the hindsight of the past years, Kyoka discussed how earlier in her career she worked more intuitively, following a rather emotional response to noise. Lately, however, she has taken steps towards rationalising the emotion, diving into neuroscience to support her creative endeavours. You can read part of the interview in Attack Magazine. 

Third year Creative Audio Production student JD Alvarado played many vital roles at the festival, including the technical support during the Kyoka dialogue. He said, “It was really amazing to see the research behind Kyokas's productions, but also the reasoning and the concepts behind them. Once you understand where it is coming from, you begin to perceive it differently, which makes her music more approachable. It’s not usually my style, but knowing the background allowed me to fully enjoy the performance later and has given me the drive to explore more of it.”

Listen back to extracts of recordings made at Signals Festival on reboot.fm! Podcast includes the talk between The Allegorist and Peter Kirn and the live jam session with Lady Starlight and friends.

Catalyst’s cavernous performance area - known on a school-day as ‘The Void’ - was the centre for live acts and DJ sets and as the October sun went down, the acts began. Across 17 wide-ranging and diverse performances the audience was invited into a new and at times deeply personal world - using the space to test an idea, finesse a skill or gauge a reaction. 

After setting the scene during her dialogue, saying how each piece of equipment for her live sets brings a different character, Kyoka wowed a full room with a set that travelled through different emotional states. With a strong feeling of empathy towards the audience, in her performance Kyoka reflected the overriding emotions of the listeners. A heartfelt thank you to Elektron who made this techno emotional joyride possible at Signals Festival. On the screen behind Kyoka, Catalyst Electronic Music Production and Performance alum Wei Kang Bei programmed live visuals that mimicked and danced with Kyoka’s eclectic sound. 

In stark contrast to Kyoka, who faced the audience and moved with them, in Dana Reason, AudeRrose and Renée T. Coulombe’s live and improvised scores to “Cinema’s First Nasty Women”, the focus of their performance was on the century old recordings projected on the wall. The trio’s performance temporarily transformed the dancefloor into a cinema with a strongly feminist stance. “I think it was a little different to other acts at the festival”, Renée said later with a wink.

On Friday night, wearing a boiler-suit and armed with a bass guitar, violin bow, strega and a host of other gear, Ireen Amnes stepped onto the stage drenched in red light. Anyone who has seen Ireen Amnes DJ would associate the red with a warning - industrial techno ahead. Signals Festival, however, was treated to an ambient live set. Yes, at times the red glow in The Void fed into an overall atmosphere of rising tensions, as Amnes stood in a powerful pose and pulled the violin bow across the bass or bounced from instrument to instrument, but using the strega for a process called “wave shaping” Ireen Amnes was able to manipulate and tame the audio into a set of ambient and highly experimental electronic music. Satisfied with the huge applause at the end of her performance, she later reported with a smile, “this is the first time I’ve used my bass in this way”.

At first, Sofi Paez’s performance seemed similar, as she used a classical instrument in an innovative way alongside live and cutting edge digital processing. But where Amnes bought an ambient drone founded on a training in prog-rock, Paez’s “contemporary classic” took festival attendees on a beautifully different journey. Student and team member Laura Lengua agreed, “Sofi’s performance was a highlight for me. I assisted Sofi in setting up her Ableton sessions in the weeks before the show - while doing that she explained her approach to the performance. This combination of live performances with pre-recording is not something I see often within neoclassical music. Seeing the full picture come together in her live performance was very inspiring.”

The expansion of this year's festival added many new faces to the Catalyst community; over 40% of the artists have not studied or taught at Catalyst. Many thanks to all performers who weren’t mentioned in this article, you can find the full programme and more detailed profiles of each artists submission here. As well as artists who participated - travelling in some cases from other countries for the event - there was a whole host of team members and without them the event wouldn’t have been possible. From transforming the space for all the festival guests and working essential roles throughout the weekend to preparing our halls and classrooms for lessons on Monday, many Catalyst students pitched in to make this event a success. For some, this was the first time seeing the kind of work that goes on behind the scenes of an arts and music festival, others took on organisational roles to develop their understanding. A big moment on the yearly calendar with over 1,000 people, Signals Festival was a highly social event. Nilgün Gül Özer said during the Saturday evening “More than anything I enjoyed meeting other students. Getting to know my peers has been a big plus - I’ve already set up studio sessions with some of them!”

Signals Festival 22 had a place for everyone. With support from Orchestral Tools, the event, along with the crafted worlds presented by the artists, were made accessible to attendees with modest incomes. Whether you were a Catalyst alum, returning to share some of your creative labour or an established artist adding your ideas to an audience  hungry for new perspectives. An enterprising student eager for events experience or a budding performer passionate for having their art experienced by others. Or simply a reveller hearing what magic is being cooked up at Catalyst.

Read all about our highlights from Signals Festival arts and technology festival

Signals Festival 22 broadened our horizons

Broadening horizons at Signals Festival 2022

During Fall 2021 Catalyst acquired a collection of Super8 equipment for specific workshops in the first year of Film Production. This includes a Super8 projector, Super8 cameras and some basic Super8 development equipment. We caught up with Juli Saragosa, Certificate Lead for Film Production, who talked us through some finer details of Super8 at Catalyst.

Super8 is motion recording technology which has now been superseded. At one time however, they were ubiquitous. So what is Super8? The “8” in Super8 refers to the width of the film. While the 8mm format has existed since the 1930s, and was much more affordable than its predecessor 16mm, the Super8 film was introduced in 1964. It was designed to remove barriers for everyday filmmakers. While 8mm film requires manual rolling, Super8 is packaged more conveniently. Increasing accessibility was an essential aspect of the Super8 product design. More often than not, software is designed to replicate physical realities. By engaging in the technology that defined these realities, makers can uncover new insights into their craft.

How wide is 8mm? see in the photo above, as some film students inspect their freshly developed film. One is holding it up to the light to see the recording better, another is using a magnifying glass to see their recording.

What do we stand to gain from engaging with analog film processes?

The fact that we can touch the film with our hands, and see the frames by holding it up to the light, gives students a deeper understanding of how moving images work - the concept of frames per second becomes material, less abstract. Digital editing can function much like online teaching. Everything is two-dimensional and disconnected from the body. Working with film is a tactile process that involves the whole body. The filmmaking process is alive and in person.

Can you tell us a bit about the history of analog video?

Filmmaking started out with celluloid material in the late 1800s. In the 1970s, analog video made filmmaking and video art much more accessible to lower income groups. Those who felt disenfranchised or oppressed were enabled to get their voice heard through a less cumbersome, more affordable medium. In the late 1990s, digital video took over the analog video practice and became even more accessible - finding wide use with smartphone technology. 

Working with celluloid film was - and still is - expensive compared to analog and digital video. 

So does Super8 use analog or celluloid film?

What people call “analog film” is technically not analog. Analog refers to “information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position.” Celluloid film does not have a continuous stream, there are frames and within those frames individual grains of silver halide (which is the magic of photosensitive image making). Analog video, on the other hand, does transmit and record a continuous electromagnetic stream to and from magnetic material.

Sounds like there is a whole world to explore. Where can I meet like minded people?

Filmmaking of all kinds exists all over the world. As digital video is more affordable and accessible, the use of celluloid material has become rarer and therefore even more expensive - both the material and the processing of it. Access to celluloid material is limited to areas of the world where hobbyists can afford it, and artists with DIY practices share skills and resources.

For instance, here in Berlin there is a collective of filmmakers called Labor Berlin that share resources in working with celluloid material - processing and re-printing their own film. There are numerous artist-run collectives such as this one. On this site you can see how they are spread throughout the world.

What do I need to record and develop Super8 films?

We have a couple of Super8 cameras and some hand-processing supplies in the Film Tech shop. Super8 camera models are not like digital cameras. They were invented for ease of use for hobbyists, those filming family vacations and home movies, so the cameras range from having very automatic to more manual functions. The brand does not always reveal anything about what the camera’s functions might be. The camera itself doesn’t tell you much about the quality of the images you will get. The lens, sometimes more, but it also depends on how well maintained the cameras are. They stopped making Super8 cameras in the 1990s. There is one that Kodak has released that is half-digital, but it’s not that popular amongst DIY artists. They use it in Hollywood as a gimmick.

Catalyst film tech shop is well equipped for experimenting with this media. We have a Bauer C Royal 6E, a Braun Nizo s560 and an Elmo 103T to make use of. We also have two film stocks to experiment with and during the induction, students will learn DIY film processing techniques as well as how to properly handle the necessary chemicals.

How has the experience of Project8 informed your teaching practice, given how the place of Super8 has changed radically since then (along with other celluloid film technology)?

In addition to teaching at media arts schools, I’ve given a few DIY filmmaking workshops at various community-run spaces before I started working at Catalyst. I also teach some workshops at the FilmArche eV, a self-organized film school here in Berlin. I try to approach all of my teaching without assumptions of what resources people have access to, and encourage people to tell stories that are underrepresented by the mainstream.

The expertise and approach that Juli adds to Catalyst adds directly to an idea we weave throughout Catalyst, building it from the ground up as a safe space to dream big. You can find more information about super8 on this expansive wiki, or nerd out on this super8 database hosted on filmkorn.org. To finish off this article, we’ve added a few projects Juli believes to be exemplary.

Photos by “Toronto Super8 legend” John Porter of “Splice This!” Super8 festival. Juli was commissioned by Splice This! on various occasions. 

"I feel that community spirit and fun we had in making it comes across in the film and for me, that's what Super8 filmmaking is all about."

The film Juli made for the 2005 festival is a silent remake of “The Outsiders” played by all women.

Foundational filming techniques on the Film Production course

Super8 at Catalyst

Super8 at Catalyst: analogue techniques in modern filmmaking with Juli Saragosa

Here’s everything you need to know for applying to the 2023/24 academic year:

“This year is going to be my year.” The last couple of years made it pretty hard to keep faith in that statement. Yet, if you ask some of our thriving current students, who plunged head-first into courses at Catalyst despite the uncertainty of the pandemic, they’ll tell you that next year can always be your year – if you make it happen. So allow us to add a huge opportunity to your horizon: 2023 applications are now open!

If you’re ready to kick-start your career in audio or music production, sound for media, filmmaking, screenwriting, visual effects, digital arts and animation, or screen acting, apply by our Standard Deadline of the 31 March, 2023, to secure your spot. Keep reading for more information.

[Header photo: Screen Acting Bachelor alumnus Daniel Straube by Aurélie Nydegger]

Now is the time to apply for Catalyst Berlin's 2023 course year. Here’s everything you need to know about the process.

Information About the 2023 Application Process

Catalyst artists Doron Sadja and Samaquias Lorta will be joining Berlin's Radio Symphony Orchestra for the first collaborative concert of the Mensch, Musik! series on October 7th. 

The first concert of the season, titled Grenzfragen: Eine Erkundung (Border Issues: An Exploration) will be led by conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, performing the work of composers who touched the boundaries of their respective times. It will feature our first two Catalyst creatives on the roster - Samaquias Lorta and Doron Sadja. Inviting artists to electronically, videographically and philosophically push the boundaries of classical performance practice, the orchestral event promises to cross the borders of symphonic music. Expect new and resolutely contemporary perspectives.

Mensch, Musik! #5 Border Issues – an Exploration

Catalyst alum Samaquias Lorta will be following Kagel’s pieces with four interludes throughout the evening, reinterpreting Kagel’s parody of authoritarianism in a contemporary setting. Lorta samples the sounds of social media, placing his analysis of authoritarian abuse of power and populist ideas firmly in the 21st century. The compositions will be varied; one looking at political leaders around the globe who promote divise rhetoric and racist ideas, the next commenting on social media as an unnerving link between refugees struggling to survive and detached privileged influencers. While one interlude might seek to break through the noise of border constructs, the closing interlude will give space in which to contemplate political divide. The most pertinent issue Lorta wants to address is the social, cultural and political divides that exist today bringing contemporary flavour to ideas which have been expressed musically much further back into the past, integrated with music from the past 200 years.

In the foyer of the legendary Haus des Rundfunks, artist, composer, instrument designer and Catalyst tutor Doron Sadja will be presenting "Silent Whispers". The centrepiece of Sadja’s kinetic sound installation at Mensch, Musik! is an extra-high stand with custom-built motorised ultrasonic speakers that emit a highly directional laser beam - potentially only one person at a time in the foyer will hear the sounds, words and phrases being broadcast. The central idea is that people can interpret the same information in radically different ways and have very different experiences. In this way, Sadja will explore the invisible boundaries between people.

Many composers featured on the programme are writing at a time of war, in response to dictators or migration. Much of Schostakowitsch’s work for example, was written under the pressures of government-imposed standards of Soviet art. Romanian-born Greek-French Iannis Xenakis was an avant-garde composer whose ideas often crossed interdisciplinary borders. German-Argentinian composer Mauricio Kagel’s "10 Märsche, um den Sieg zu verfehlen” (10 marches to miss the victory) is a radio play that processes the typical rhetoric of a political demagogue. Segments will be played from the ten part score, which uses satire to take a highly critical stance of an anonymous dictator. 

Samaquias Lorta and Doron Sadja at RSB X Catalyst /// Mensch, Musik! on October 7, 2022

Now located in Haus des Rundfunks (Funk in German meaning radio), Berlin’s historic radio symphony orchestra and Catalyst share a little piece of history. During the GDR, the RSB moved from its early home in Haus des Rundfunks to the Nalepastrasse Funkhaus on the East side of Berlin - on the same site our school calls home. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Haus des Rundfunks has been regenerated and the RSB returned to their original home. Fast-forward 30 years and the historic institutes have reconnected. Today we are exploring new ground by bridging old and new music practices.

The partnership between Catalyst and the RSB focuses on the role of technological interaction between established and contemporary art institutions. The goal is to develop new artworks, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and bring life to music educational advancements. The partnership includes the projects HyperSynth:Orchestra and Mensch, Musik! which roll out over the 2022/23 season.

Our collaboration is going live with it's first installment of Mensch, Musik! which will cross examine the idea of borders

Mensch, Musik! - Catalyst x RSB collaboration

Catalyst at Mensch, Musik! First concert with Samaquias Lorta and Doron Sadja

Citizens of the EU, migrants and refugees can now apply for German state funding. Options for Dutch and Scandinavian residents are also available via the respective nations’ funding organisations. Here’s everything you need to know about applying for student grants and loans. 

Further opening up our institute to creatives of all backgrounds, eligible citizens of the European Union, migrants and refugees who live (or have the prospect of living) in Germany can now apply for student funding at Catalyst via BAföG. 

Support for residents of Sweden, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands, via the nations’ respective funding organisations, is also available. 

Read on to find out all you need to know about funding options for BA and MA study at Catalyst. 

A word to the wise: we recommend that you submit your application to Catalyst by 31 March 2023 latest to allow yourself plenty of time to apply for funding or a visa.

1. Germany & EU citizens (non-EU citizens subject to prerequisites): BAföG

BAföG is a needs-based German state funding, granted if a student, their parent, or their spouse, do not have the financial means to pay for living expenses during their studies (tuition fees are not covered). Half of the financial support is usually a grant and the other half is an interest-free loan that needs to be repaid. Successful application of BAföG funding also allows you to apply for an exemption from paying Rundfunk­beitrag (radio tax). See a further breakdown of BAföG financial eligibility and potential funding options for students here. 

Note: the below information is not exhaustive. If you have any questions about BAföG, you can reach out to studierendenWERK BERLIN on 030 93939 - 6000. They handle the processing of applications. For any questions related to Catalyst, please contact Jennifer Vaz at payments@catalyst-berlin.com. 

German citizens studying a full-time Bachelors or Masters course at Catalyst.

EU citizens (including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) studying a full-time Bachelors or Masters course at Catalyst can also apply, subject to any one of the conditions below:

You have worked in Germany for at least 10 weeks at 12h/week at a minimum (you must hold on to the job during the course of study)

Your spouse or parent is an EU citizen who is currently employed

You are in possession of permanent residence permit in Germany (usually granted after living here for 5 years)

One of your parents worked in Germany for at least 3 of the last 6 years

Citizens of other countries can qualify for BAföG funding if:

You are officially recognized as a refugee or asylum seeker

You are married to a German citizen or the child of a German citizen

You, your parent or your spouse has permanent residence from working in the EU for at least 5 years

You must apply on the BAföG digital portal. To find the unique identifier number of your course, click here and look for Catalyst under AUSBILDUNGSSTÄTTE. 

During the BAföG application process, you will be prompted to search for your desired programme of study. As shown in the picture above, do not search for “Catalyst.” You must instead search for one of the following Catalyst course names:

Electronic Music Production & Performance 

Creative Music Production & Sound Engineering 

(*Although our course is VFX, Digital Arts & Animation, you need to select "Visual Effects")

If you have any questions about the BAföG application process, you can make an appointment with studierendenWERK, here. It takes 2-3 months to process applications, with summer being the busiest season. So do plan in advance, keeping in mind the tuition fee deadlines in August.

Funding options for EU and international students to study in Germany via BAföG, CSN, Lín, Lånekassen and DUO.

Student Funding Options Available at Catalyst

Funding possibilities for students living in Berlin

Rising stars from all schools at the Catalyst Film Awards

The inside scoop on who took which prizes home at the fourth Film Awards

Sure, you’ve heard of the Oscars. And if you’re reading this, you’ve most likely also heard of the Golden Globe Awards and the BAFTAs. Hopefully you’re familiar with the Razzie Award in the States and Berlin’s very own Teddy Awards. Another that needs no introduction: Catalyst’s very own Annual Film Awards, which returned in June 2022 for its 4th edition. The night was an opportunity to dress smart and indulge in some red carpet activity. But above all, it was a celebration of another year of really astounding talent training their creative muscles in our Film Production, Screen Acting and Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation degree courses at Catalyst. 

Some of the Catalyst Film Awards were prestigious, such as Best Film (3rd year BA & MA courses category), which landed a €500 distribution prize from Catalyst - awarded to Álfgerður Malmquist Baldursdóttir’s “Guts”. Baldursdóttir was also awarded Best Director, which landed a one year VIP subscription to MUBI 

Best Film (1st & 2nd year category) was sponsored by 25p Cine Support, a digital film equipment rental here in Berlin. This award came with a €500 equipment voucher to use in their Prenzlauer Berg store, and was awarded to “Il Profumo di Casa - The Scent of Home”  by Francesca Rotundo. Rotundo’s film also received a nomination for Best Documentary. 

The Distribution prize is not just the money. It is also special guidance on the process of how to submit the movie to relevant Film Festivals worldwide.

Other awards, such as the Golden Gorilla Award, celebrated the profound - given to the most adventurous, audacious or bold film maker. It was awarded to Karun Gill. Special thanks to Dino Berlin, a Kreuzberg based film equipment rental service, who granted three 50% discount vouchers. The Golden Gorilla Award, Best Producer was awarded to Miranda Siegel and Best Cinematographer, to Emma Guiliani for “The Birdcage”. “The Birdcage” also took home the award of Best Experimental Film, which came with a year subscription to Celtx - a cloud based collaborative and project management software for creative films. “The Birdcage” also received nominations for Best Film (3rd year & MA category), Best Director, Best Editor and Best Original Music. 

Freelance photographer Caroline Wimmer bestowed the Best Lead Performance winner a €250 headshot package, which was awarded to Ruut Ahonen for “The Tale of Vasalisa”. Former Catalyst Film programme lead Malachi Rempen provided a copy of his “Roll Camera Board Game” as a prize for the Spirit Award, given to Viktorja Baltusyte for personifying the Catalyst spirit of collaboration and community. 

"Making a movie is not enough. It’s not the end of a process, it’s just the beginning of the journey. You are not an artist until you have an audience, and the festival recognition is the first step to starting a filmmaking career. Alfie and her movie “Guts” are also a great example of the level of artistic quality we want in our Film school and we are proud to have this beautiful piece of work representing Catalyst," said  Leandro Goddinho, Programme Lead of Film Production. 

While the Spirit Award, Best Producer and Kids Choice Award were decided by a student vote, a Guest Jury of 11 Film Industry hotshots deliberated over who took home which award. Many thanks to Easton West, Dominga Ortuzar, Renee Coulombe, Elinor Lewy, Gaby Szambelan, Silvia Cannarozzi, Adam Munnings, João Pedro Prado, Yosuke Hosoi, Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon who devoted time, effort and energy to choosing the 2022 winners, who may go on to define the Berlin film scene in the coming years.

Woven throughout the night were performances and entertainment by a curated selection of Catalyst alumni and students. The opening act was singer songwriter Olivia Mamberti , who gave a live performance of acoustic sweetness and depth.  Olivia was also present for a nomination for Best Original Music.

Across 23 awards given that night, students were recognised for outstanding music & sound, direction & performance, storyline & script and Best Death. Long after the gold champagne bottle that each winner received is drunk and gone, the glory will remain. The rights to the films remain with the makers, so to see the films first hand, keep an eye out at film festivals, and of course Catalyst will relay any future premieres or screenings nearby. 

To learn more about our hands-on and collaborative film, visual effects and acting courses in Berlin, join any one of our taster workshops or Virtual Open days!  

A run down of the evening events. Find out who won which prizes this year.

Catalyst Film Awards 2022

Berlin-based techno artist, Lady Starlight, joined us for a workshop on her live setup, featuring the Elektron Analog Rytm. Watch our interview to find out more about what catalyses her creativity.


Lady Starlight is a musician after our own hearts. The bundle of creativity that burns within her is not confined to a single genre, nor a single artform. With her wormhole-opening techno, the artist has illuminated diverse corners of the musical cosmos – from the dark matter of Berghain, to Lady Gaga’s surreal pop planet, to an asteroid belt of legendary metal bands, including Iron Maiden, Slayer and Megadeth. Her brilliance, as she confirmed during her visit to Catalyst in early 2022, is a nuclear reaction of curiosity, collaboration and authenticity.

“I would describe my musical style as hypnotic through repetition and atmosphere. Keep hammering away at this one idea until you’re in another dimension.”

We were honoured to host Lady Starlight for an intimate workshop with our Electronic Music Production & Performance [EMP], Creative Audio Production [CAP] and Creative Music Production MA [CPM] students in our Electronic Music Production Lab. We learned about her workflow when approaching new instruments, her creative process, as well as the inspirations, motivations and goals behind her iconic live-sets. 

"I have followed Lady Starlight’s music for a while now and was intrigued to know more about her musical processes. I also own a Digitakt and it follows a similar workflow as the Analog Rytm, so I was interested to learn its workflow in a techno related setting." said Gloria Le Hodey, artist and Catalyst music student. 

Lady Starlight introduced us to her live setup - simple and powerful – including her analog dream machine, the Elektron Analog Rytm MKII, an eight voice analog drum computer and sampler. As Lady Starlight walked us through her workflow, we gained an understanding of her instrument selection and creative process. Lady Starlight shared how much she enjoyed the addition of a digital sample layer on the Elektron's Analog Rytm, as well as the depth of the kick drums, snares, toms, and hi-hats, which she took to the next level with some extra distortion from her favourite pedals. 

"I've been producing techno, IDM and ambient for 4 years now and since the beginning Elektron Analog Rytm was my main piece of hardware" said musician and Catalyst student Jaime Mancha, "It is an endless device and for that my main tool in the studio. Also Lady Starlight is one of my all time favourites… it is a dream come true to learn from her. "

She also explained how her simple yet punchy set-up was perfect for touring live, as having more instruments won't necessarily make your set more interesting, and it may cause a few more hiccups than needed once you're in front of a crowd the size of a Lady Gaga concert!  

After the workshop, Lady Starlight gifted us with a short live set so we could experience how smoothly the new instrument tied in with the rest of her set-up. The Analog Rytm allowed her to build the playful, expansive and hypnotic percussion and rhythms that characterise her sets. You can listen to a few snippets in the video below.

Following the workshop, we chatted to her to dive deeper into her artistry; touching on her pandemic passion project, DIALOGUE, her favourite Analog Rytm features, and her advice to the emerging artists in our community. 

You can read the Mixmag article 'Watch Lady Starlight explain the inner workings of her ferocious live techno sets' here.

Lady Starlight at Catalyst

The video was directed and edited by photographer, filmmaker and Catalyst alumni Roman Koblov, with the support of Catalyst film student Leo Bonmati, as camera operator (Leo moonlights as a drone pilot).  

The live-set and workshop recordings were managed by Ole-Jacob Sand (read about Creative Production MA alumnus aka VIBKO's, final project, titled ‘Making Music in Time,’ focusing on the creative potential of live performance through practice-based research here); and highly talented, soon to graduate EMP student Alex Penate, who's recently released a dance-provoking EP on Bandcamp. 

The video's sound design was created by EMP student Surrealich, and KwokPiu Poon, experimenting with Elektron machines, modular for atmospheres and space, combining vocals and guitars through pedals to create samples, to use along with Elektron's Digitak and Analog Heat. 

Photography and portraits were mady by Ian Margio, audiovisual creative and EMP diploma graduate. 

A warm thank you to Lady Starlight for coming to our school and participating in this educational and inspiring event. You can find out about her upcoming sets in Berlin and beyond on RA and follow her on Soundcloud and Instagram. 

Thank you to Elektron and Your Mom's Agency for facilitating the experience. And finally thank you to all workshop participants and our very own film production, sound engineering and sound design crew.

Techno artist runs an intimate workshop for Electronic Music Production & Performance students. Watch the interview here.

Lady Starlight dazzles Catalyst students

Performing artist Lady Starlight enlightens us with her live setup

“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