Online Courses
Artistic Practice: The Self as a Data Trace
Lecturer: Kim Albrecht
Course date: Sa March 8th 2025, 2–6pm (CEST)
Maximum participants: 20
⮕ Enrol here until March 7th, 2025
Fee: EUR 150
The Self as a Data Trace
While the self is an elusive and fragile construct, in the digital realm, it is rendered into rows and columns—nominal, ordinal, and numerical data points—traced by every mouse movement, click, gaze, and post.
This workshop investigates the self as a data trace, exploring how data conglomerates, data brokers, and social media algorithms shape our digital identities. We will contrast these technological perspectives with artistic positions, counter-mappings and investigative approaches that expose the backstage operations of the digital self.
Participants will confront both the strangeness and the banality of corporate categorizations designed for profit, observe the algorithmic politics that dictate attention and erasure, and critically engage with modes of resistance. Through discussion and mapping, we will explore ways to navigate, challenge, and reflect on the datafied self in contrast to the more ambiguous and fluid notion of selfhood that resists definition.
Kim Albrecht
Kim Albrecht conducts research at the intersection of data visualization, technology, and culture. He holds a BA in Graphic Design, an MA in Interface Design, and a Ph.D. in Media Theory. Albrecht’s professional journey includes roles such as researcher at the Center for Complex Network Research with Prof. Laszlo Barabasi, Principal at metaLAB (at) Harvard with Jeffrey Schnapp, Faculty Associate at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and Professor at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf from 2023 to 2024. Since 2025, he has served as Professor of Information Design at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. Known for his exploration of the aesthetic properties of data, his work spans teaching, research, and application.
The workshop output will be shown in the online exhibition Attention is all I need at Virtual HEK Basel from April 4th to May 30th. The exhibition invites the audience to a playful group show that elaborates on the multifaceted ways we represent ourselves in the digital world. Attention is all I need explores the fine line of the digital realm as both a space of possibilities and a determined environment shaped by platform economies. Through deepfakes, AI imagery, and self-avatars, it reveals the evolving relationship between technology and selfhood as a contemporary artistic practice.
Preparation for the course:
To ensure a smooth experience, please use a headset (or headphones) and choose a quiet place with a stable internet connection. You will receive access to the required reading materials after booking the course; please review them in advance.
Procedure
This intensive live course will be conducted via Zoom on a Saturdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM CET/ CEST. Please prepare a brief introduction of yourself and your projects (3 minutes). The successful outcome is a participation in the digital exhibition.
Technical instructions
Download the Zoom application. You will find a detailed installation guide here. Zoom can also be accessed through a browser on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, or Android phone. You will receive a Zoom invitation with a link to join the workshop.