DOK Neuland
The virtual world has a physical body. It is made of silicon and copper, of server farms and electrical grids. The physical body of the virtual world wastes water and is implicated in wars, and every AI-generated image was trained on very real ones, whether works made by artists or everyday moments shared online. The virtual world is no more ethereal than we are – a mind inseparable from a body.
“DOK Neuland: Immaterial” embraces the materiality of digital technologies. The projects presented draw a direct line between physical experience and virtual worlds, revealing that there is no clear boundary. Occupied by matters of matter, they dedicate themselves to HOW worlds are created as much as they are to the act of world-building. Looking into forgotten corners, the exhibited works bring to the forefront the people, stories and systems that are commonly unseen.
Our planet is pockmarked by mines and stripped forests, devoured by our industries including information technology. Digital goods, just as physical ones, are built upon extracted materials and underpaid workers, and in their decay are discarded as all other trash. At the same time, the material cost of technology is murky. The actual water and energy consumption of generative AI chatbots is a guarded secret, as are the human faces behind its training and data sets.
The hardware used in this exhibition alone likely calls for at least five rare-earth elements, the mining of which is currently at the heart of geopolitics. As you walk through, take note of the cables, monitors and human labour required just for the presentation of these eight digital works.
“DOK Neuland: Immaterial” opens to the public from 28 October to 2 November.
Heilandskirche Westkreuz
Tuesday–Sunday
11:00–18:00
“Revival Roadshow” at MdbK Leipzig
Tuesday, Thursday–Sunday
11:00–18:00
Wednesday
12:00–20:00
To mark the end of the DOK Exchange XR conference and celebrate the DOK Neuland exhibition, we welcome you to join a DOK Industry Get Together hosted by SEE NL, ASIFA Germany, and ITFS, including a special live musical activation of Justin Urbach’s “Blindspot” by musical duo Aqua Veen (Alexander Koenig and William East).
Aqua Veen is a project founded by William East and Alexander Koenig in 2023, currently focusing on audio visual installations and crafting electronic music soundscapes at the intersection of art and science. “Blindspot” (one of the exhibited works at DOK Neuland) is the product of a collaboration between Aqua Veen and media artist Justin Urbach in which neuromorphic cameras, computer vision, and generative audio synthesis are integrated into an immersive audio-visual encounter.
Alexander Koenig is a researcher and artist based in Berlin. Alex is currently pursuing his PhD in embodied intelligence at TU Berlin, where he studies the control of robot hands.
William East is a multidisciplinary creator and artist working in Berlin. He is currently developing software for a new generation of smartphones designed to reshape our relationship with technology.
This event is open to accredited guests, with limited tickets for the public.
Tickets are available from 9 October.
DOK Neuland Team 2025
Construction assistance
