Initiated by the Department of Design and the Immersive Arts Space of the Zurich University of the Arts, «REFRESH #5» took place from November 9th to November 12th, 2023. Under the title «New Realities: Design – Arts – Technology», REFRESH #5 (keynotes, masterclasses, lab insights, exhibition) brought together designers, artists, researchers and experts from Switzerland and abroad to anticipate possible futures for the Design and the Arts. The fith edition of the interdisciplinary festival REFRESH was devoted primarily to the topics «Immersive Journalism», «Design Realities», «Worldbuilding», «Future Technologies» and «Design Ecologies». All reflect the spirit of the times, questioning the role of designers and artists in an increasingly digitalized world and searching for a binding ethic in dealing with the flood of available data.
With guests such as Nikolaj Schultz (sociologist, author of «On the Emergence of an Ecological Class» (2022) with Bruno Latour and author of «Land Sickness» (2023)), Sarah Kenderdine (Head Curator EPFL Pavilions and Professor of Digital Museology at the EPFL), AATB (artist couple focused on experimental robotics) and Sam Wolson (Visual Features Editoris for the New Yorker and an Emmy award-winning director, photographer and journalist).
REFRESH #5. Recap Video: Marco Bach. © ZHdK.
