The publication series ‘Encyclopedia of Media: Writings by Peter Weibel’, brings together the writings of the curator, theorist and media artist Peter Weibel (1944–2023). Weibel understood media as a means of reflecting on our access to the world. He explored how recording, storing and transmitting information has continually evolved from antiquity to the present day and significantly influenced culture.   His reflections, particularly those on media-centered spatial perception, provide important foundations for a media-theoretical and media-scientific understanding of space and art and hold great potential. Given the rapid development of media technology, it is important to interpret Weibel’s writings in new contexts and update/adapt/rethink them for both the current media landscape and future challenges and opportunities. In the seminar, we will address the encyclopedic approach in relation to discourses critical of power asymmetries and the dissemination of knowledge in the sense of unlearning. “Unlearning,” writes Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, “is not forgetting, it is not deletion,cancellation nor burning off. It is writing bolder and writing anew. It is commenting and questioning. It is giving new footnotes to old and other narratives..” (2020, p. 101). Methodologically, we use critical pedagogy in an artistic-discursive format, to engage with this collection.

The seminar is interdisciplinary in nature, as it is intended to be open to all departments.

Instead of providing students with a formalized media theory curriculum in the form of texts and classroom teaching, we recognize the need to embody and interweave the theoretical, the speculative and the material. Understanding learning as a “process of becoming” (Paolo Freire, 1970), we emphasize each student’s endemic knowledge, curiosity and creativity. Students are empowered to co-create content and thus actively participate in deciding on the treated content/form and dissemination of knowledge. The seminar format aims to interpolate between the fields of pedagogy, art, media theory and academia, highlighting the need for more speculative research. It asks how we, as practitioners, can be sensitive in our interaction with different media environments (i.e. ecological, virtual, imaginary), different technologies and cultural practices.

Rather than favoring text-based outputs, we focus on spatial and bodily experiences of knowledge, transcending conventional analytical methods of the classroom. With a strong focus on process orientation, we’'d like to prioritize open-ended outcomes that allow for flexibility and adaptability during the learning process. Finally, contextual transfer is a key aspect in the planned presentation of results: By presenting outcomes in non-academic and public/artistic contexts, where the friction of engaging with a wider audience becomes an un/learning experience in itself, students gain deeper insights into their own practice and develop skills crucial for life beyond academia.

Participation: 40%

Attendance at all events is mandatory, with active participation in group discussions required. Exemptions are granted in cases of illness; however, no more than two leaves are suggested.
 Preparation for each session is required in form of readings and actively engage with all materials shared in advance.

Contribution: 40%

Each participant, individually or in small groups, is invited to choose a chapter from any of the six books and prepare a contribution, which should deal with the core concepts presented by Peter Weibel as well as share an unlearning approach - either a critical analysis from a different point of view or creating a dialogue with a current voice.

Option A: As part of Session 1-5 (ca 30 min.)
  Format: presentation, lecture performance, workshop / experience, ...
  Deadline: Respective Session. Slot distributed at the 1st meeting (Introduction)

Option B: At the final Event
  Format: Artwork, performance, experience, ...
  Deadline: January 14th 2026

Option C: After the Seminar
  Format: Text (paper, essay, interview etc.  approx 3000 words)
  Deadline: February 28th 2026

Peer Review: 20%

Each student must provide constructive feedback to one other student. Your peer review should be a friendly and thoughtful critique, approximately 1,000 words in length. Peer review assignments will be drawn by lot at the beginning ofthe 2nd meeting (1st session).

IMPORTANT: It is administratively necessary to register for both LV with the respective course numbers:  S05758 (Valie Messini) + S05763 (Denise H. Sumi)

The course is limited to 20 participants and especially (but not only) addresses students of Media Theory, Transmedia Art, Digital Arts,TransArts, Transcultural Studies, Art & Science, Architecture, Cross-Disciplinary Strategies, Experimental Game Cultures and School for Tranformation.

In addition to the seminar days, we offer time for personal exchanges with course participants every two weeks. These take place on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. after registration via email.

The course will be held in German and English.