PRELUDE: ECHOES OF RA opened the thematic year leading up to the partial solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Building on previous IGAL – Intergalactic Lusatia activities, the evening served as a conceptual starting point for a longer process connecting science, art, and regional culture, and marked the first public step of the collaboration with the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA).
 

The programme brought together lecture performance, artistic research, scientific input, film, and audiovisual formats. It opened with a lecture performance by Hannah Klitzke, developed together with Jonas Herb Kilb, combining poetry, references to Jakob Böhme, AI-generated voices, and electronic sound. This was followed by a joint contribution by Jakob Gruhl and Karoline Schneider / Krawcec, translating Sorbian material culture — including dress codes, cowrie shells, and Easter riding — into digital and contemporary artistic forms through visual projections, text, and sound.
 

Seismological perspectives on Lusatia by Dr. Mike Lindner (DZA) introduced the measurement of subtle ground vibrations and the seismic traces of collective movement, connecting scientific observation with the physical and cultural landscape. Throughout the first part, the programme was accompanied by film installations, short works from the Summer Film Academy, live moderation, and intermittent sound elements, including theremin-based interventions.
 

The second part continued with an audiovisual sequence combining mapping, projections, and electronic sound, transforming the Kunsthalle into an immersive environment. This was followed by the screening of KOSMONAUT, a short film developed during the Summer Film Academy 2025.
 

The evening concluded with the listening session NOISSES SEOCHE NEDLOG by Lotti Oeken, drawing on material from the NASA Golden Record. Text, voice, and visual impulses interacted in an open structure shaped by echoes, distortions, and fragmented narratives, accompanied by a video installation emerging from the artistic exchange between DZA × Rashomon.
 

Across its different parts, PRELUDE explored cosmological thinking, regional knowledge systems, and the ways patterns, rituals, and data shape perception — opening a shared space for exchange, reflection, and future collaboration.


Hannah Klitzke

Text · Lecture Performance · Sound & AI

Hannah Klitzke works at the intersection of poetry, performance, and sound. Her texts and performances engage with East German identity cultures, with a particular focus on the perspectives of East German women. For PRELUDE: ECHOES OF RA, she developed a lecture performance together with Jonas Herb Kilb, combining poetry, Jakob Böhme’s language, AI-generated voices, and electronic sound. She studies painting/graphic art at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB) and theatre studies at Leipzig University.

 

Jakob Gruhl

Artist · Electronic Music · Software & Immersive Media

Jakob Gruhl works at the intersection of art, technology, and mediation, with a focus on software-based and immersive media. He is co-founder of Ectoplastic and ZiMMT and co-developer of the apps Mazetools and Sonic Moves. As a native Sorb, he combines electronic music with bilingual texts and collaborative performance formats. As co-initiator of Drasta Digital, he works on the digital transformation and contextualisation of Sorbian dress and pattern systems.

 

Karoline Schneider / Krawcec

Visual Artist · Art Mediation · Artistic Research
 

Karoline Schneider / Krawcec is a visual artist and art mediator. In her artistic PhD research, she investigates cowrie shells on the horse harnesses of Sorbian Catholic Easter riders from feminist, postcolonial, and natureculture perspectives. Her work explores how traditions can be reinterpreted and transformed through mutual respect and contemporary artistic practice. She has been an active member of kolektiw WAKUUM since 2022.

 

Dr. Mike Lindner

Seismologist · Low Seismic Lab (DZA)
 

Dr. Mike Lindner is a seismologist at the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA). His research focuses on the detection and interpretation of subtle ground vibrations, with particular attention to the geological conditions of Lusatia and the transitions between natural and human-made movement patterns. He is also interested in regional history and cultural contexts.

 

Daniel Häfner / Kamjenaŕ

Video Projections · Visual Thinking
 

Daniel Kamjenaŕ works with video projections and mapping, exploring Sorbian visual language beyond traditional dress and decorative motifs. As a folk artist, he connects symbols and works by Sorbian/Wendish cultural practitioners with contemporary technical tools and visual strategies.

 

Vanessa Ivan

Time-Based Media · Theremin · Artistic & Cultural Practice
 

Vanessa Ivan is an artist working in time-based media and currently affiliated with the Academy of Arts. She works as a freelance artist and cultural manager, combining media-based processes with performative sound practices, particularly using the theremin. For PRELUDE: ECHOES OF RA, she contributes live sound elements and supports the audiovisual mapping with sonic and visual accents.

 

Lotti Oeken

Direction · Performance · Video
 

Lotti Oeken works in the fields of directing, performance, and video. Her practice explores bodies, memory, and the social landscapes of post-reunification biographies. Transitions, frictions, and gaps shape her visual and textual language. For PRELUDE: ECHOES OF RA, she creates the performative framework for the listening session NOISSES SEOCHE NEDLOG, engaging with material from the NASA Golden Record through an open interplay of voice, image, and distortion.

 

Dr. Stefan Ohm

Astrophysicist · Knowledge Transfer · German Center for Astrophysics (DZA)
 

Stefan Ohm is an astrophysicist and head of the Department for Regional Networking and Knowledge Transfer at the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA). His work focuses on connecting research with regional partners and developing new forms of collaboration between science, culture, and society.