Bernhard Günther: The Great Learning

Bernhard Günther: The Great Learning

Who gets heard in classical music spaces? Bernhard Günther is a cultural manager, curator, musicologist and the artistic director of Wien Modern, one of the world's largest contemporary music festivals held in Vienna since 1988. As a passionate visitor and organizer of concerts across diverse genres and formats, and as an occasional musician, he has been intensively engaged with new music and its context for over 25 years. In this episode, Bernhard and Severin discuss how Wien Modern evolved from its 1980s origins as a response to Vienna's nostalgic classical music scene into a deliberately confusing, friction-generating platform that challenges narrow definitions of what contemporary music can be. Günther explores the festival's 2025 theme "The Great Learning," which responds to Vienna's 37% population growth and increasing diversity by actively addressing questions of representation, discrimination, and who gets heard in classical music spaces. He discusses the tension between data-driven curation and human taste, why festivals must resist becoming "elite things," the dangers of AI in understanding discrimination, and why bringing people together to physically experience music—even when it provokes disagreement—matters more than ever in an age when social media promised connection but delivered polarization instead. GUEST Bernhard Günther is a cultural manager, curator, musicologist and the artistic director of Wien Modern, one of the world's largest contemporary music festivals held in Vienna since 1988. As a passionate visitor and organizer of concerts across diverse genres and formats, and as an occasional musician, he has been intensively engaged with new music and its context for over 25 years. HOST Severin Matusek is a cultural theorist and founder of co—matter, a creative studio exploring the cultural and societal impact of new technologies. IDEAS AND PEOPLE IN CONTEXT * Wien Modern Festival. One of the world's largest festivals for contemporary art music, founded in 1988 in Vienna. https://www.wienmodern.at [https://www.wienmodern.at] * Klangforum Wien. A world-class contemporary music ensemble based in Vienna, touring internationally since 1985. https://www.klangforum.at [https://www.klangforum.at] * George Lewis. Composer, trombonist, and scholar pioneering interactive computer music and post-colonial curating since the 1980s. https://www.georgelewis.com [https://www.georgelewis.com] * Tyshawn Sorey. Multi-instrumentalist composer creating "post-genre music" that defies boundaries between classical, jazz, and experimental forms. https://www.tyshawnsorey.com [https://www.tyshawnsorey.com] * Laura Bauer. Composer and performer using digital technologies to tell deeply human stories with ensemble Love Music. https://laurabauer.net [https://laurabauer.net] CREDITS The Vienna Business Agency supports new companies, projects and products that develop Vienna's creative industries further. Find out more at viennabusinessagency.at. Editorial & Production Team (in alphabetical order): Carina Dala, Severin Matusek, Elisabeth Noever-Ginthör, Alice Smith, Heinz Wolf Theme Music by Hell Mutang.

Simon Denny: Memories of the Future

On Futurism, Defense Tech, and Silicon Valley's New Aesthetics GUEST Simon Denny, MNZM (b. 1982 Auckland) lives and works in Berlin. He makes artworks that unpack stories about technology using painting, web-based media, installation, sculpture, print and video. He serves as a Professor of Time-Based Media since 2018 at The Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK), Hamburg and co-founded the artist mentoring program BPA//Berlin Program for Artists in 2016. HOST Severin Matusek is a writer and founder of co—matter, a research and strategy studio exploring the cultural and societal impact of new technologies. IDEAS AND PEOPLE IN CONTEXT Forces of the Unknown, Simon Denny exhibition, JW Marriott Hotel, Berlin https://simondenny.net/press/forces-of-the-unknown-simon-denny-on-the-militarized-imagination-and-power-of-plotter-paintings/ [https://simondenny.net/press/forces-of-the-unknown-simon-denny-on-the-militarized-imagination-and-power-of-plotter-paintings/] Netscape, first major commercial web browser (early 1990s) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator] "Software Will Eat the World", Marc Andreessen (2011) https://a16z.com/why-software-is-eating-the-world/ [https://a16z.com/why-software-is-eating-the-world/] "The Techno Optimist Manifesto", Marc Andreessen (2023) https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/ [https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/] First Futurist Manifesto, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1909) https://archive.org/details/FuturistManifesto [https://archive.org/details/FuturistManifesto] "Silicon Valley's Entering Its Hard Tech Era", New York Times (July 2025) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/technology/ai-silicon-valley-hard-tech.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/technology/ai-silicon-valley-hard-tech.html] "The Technological Republic", Alex Karp book https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Technological-Republic-Power-Belief-Future/dp/0593798694 [https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Technological-Republic-Power-Belief-Future/dp/0593798694] The Founder's Paradox, Simon Denny exhibition, Michael Lett Gallery, Auckland (2017) https://simondenny.net/the-founders-paradox-cleveland/ [https://simondenny.net/the-founders-paradox-cleveland/] Security Through Obscurity, Simon Denny exhibition, Altman Siegel, San Francisco (2020) https://simondenny.net/security-through-obscurity/ [https://simondenny.net/security-through-obscurity/] Extractor, Simon Denny board game / catalogue https://simondenny.net/extractor-publication/ [https://simondenny.net/extractor-publication/] DLD (Digital Life Design), tech conference, Munich https://www.dld-conference.com/ [https://www.dld-conference.com/] "What is Post AI Art", Art Review (November 2025) https://artreview.com/what-is-post-ai-art-avery-singer-simon-denny-holly-herndon-mat-dryhurst-jon-rafman/ [https://artreview.com/what-is-post-ai-art-avery-singer-simon-denny-holly-herndon-mat-dryhurst-jon-rafman/] CREDITS The Vienna Business Agency supports new companies, projects and products that develop Vienna's creative industries further. Find out more at viennabusinessagency.at. Editorial & Production Team (in alphabetical order): Carina Dala, Severin Matusek, Elisabeth Noever-Ginthör, Alice Smith, Heinz Wolf Theme Music by Hell Mutang.

Günseli Yalcinkaya: Internet Folklore

AI, psychedelia and mythmaking In this episode, Günseli discusses her concept of 'internet folklore,' which connects advanced technologies with cultural practices like folklore and mythmaking. The conversation delves into the ways internet culture influences society, the impact of AI on human interaction and creativity, and the emerging significance of quantum culture. Severin and Günseli also explore her collaborative AV performances and the intriguing parallels between AI and psychedelia. GUEST Günseli Yalcinkaya is an artist, curator and writer based in London, with a particular focus on online culture and advanced technologies. She is a Contributing Editor at Dazed and the former host of Dazed podcast, Logged On. She has appeared in talks and panels at the Architectural Association, BFI, Somerset House, Sónar+D, Serpentine Galleries, Unsound Festival, Vienna Digital Cultures and X Museum. Her essays have been published in CURA, Dazed Magazine, Spike Art, Vogue, Zora Zine and 032c, as well as in books for Aksioma, Julia Stoschek and LAS Art Foundation. HOST Severin Matusek is a cultural theorist and founder of co—matter, a creative studio exploring the cultural and societal impact of new technologies. IDEAS AND PEOPLE IN CONTEXT * Enshittification - Term coined by Cory Doctorow describing the gradual degradation of online platforms as they prioritize profit over user experience. https://doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralistic-net-2024-04-04-teach-me-how-to-shruggie-kagi-caaa88c221f2 [https://doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralistic-net-2024-04-04-teach-me-how-to-shruggie-kagi-caaa88c221f2] * Race to the Bottom" - Günseli Yalcinkaya's 2025 Family Style Magazine article examining internet culture, rage bait, and brain rot. https://www.family.style/culture/internet-culture-rage-bait-brain-rot [https://www.family.style/culture/internet-culture-rage-bait-brain-rot] * "MP3s made by NPCs? The rise of AI-generated muzak" - Günseli Yalcinkaya's 2023 Dazed Magazine article exploring AI-generated background music. https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/59671/1/mp3s-made-by-npcs-the-rise-of-ai-generated-muzak [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/59671/1/mp3s-made-by-npcs-the-rise-of-ai-generated-muzak] * "Where Does the Puppet End and the Human Begin?" - Günseli Yalcinkaya's 2024 032c essay exploring the boundaries between human and artificial performance. https://magazine.032c.com/magazine/where-does-the-puppet-end-and-the-human-begin [https://magazine.032c.com/magazine/where-does-the-puppet-end-and-the-human-begin] * "AI in the Age of Aquarius" - Günseli Yalcinkaya's 2025 Spike Art Magazine essay examining AI culture through spiritual and cultural lenses. https://www.spikeartmagazine.com/articles/essay-internet-age-of-aquarius [https://www.spikeartmagazine.com/articles/essay-internet-age-of-aquarius] * The Talk AV Show at Terraforma Festival - Audio-visual performance featuring James K and Heith with set design by Andrea Belosi. https://terraformaexo.com/eventi/parco-sempione/ [https://terraformaexo.com/eventi/parco-sempione/] * Debit - AI artist exploring synthetic media and digital culture. https://debit.media/bio/ [https://debit.media/bio/] Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst - Artist duo working experimentally with AI technologies. https://herndondryhurst.studio/ [https://herndondryhurst.studio/] * Vienna Digital Cultures Festival, 2025 - Festival exploring intersections of digital technology, art, and society. https://viennadigitalcultures.at/ [https://viennadigitalcultures.at/] CREDITS The Vienna Business Agency supports new companies, projects and products that develop Vienna's creative industries further. Find out more at viennabusinessagency.at. Editorial & Production Team (in alphabetical order): Carina Dala, Severin Matusek, Elisabeth Noever-Ginthör, Alice Smith, Heinz Wolf Theme Music by Hell Mutang.

Mercedes Bunz: How Not To Be Governed (Like That)

AI as a solution searching for problems In this episode, Mercedes and Severin discuss how AI represents a fundamentally different technological shift from previous digital revolutions. She demystifies how large language models actually work, explores why we need public AI and open data sets to counter corporate dominance, and challenges the binary thinking around AI—neither savior nor devil—arguing that our fear of machines replacing human work is actually masking deeper anxieties about an out-of-control financial system. GUEST Mercedes Bunz is Professor of Digital Culture and Society at King's College London's Department of Digital Humanities, where she researches how digital technology transforms knowledge, communication, power, and society. Author of "The Silent Revolution" (2012), an early exploration of how algorithms shape our world, she co-founded the Creative AI Lab with Serpentine Gallery to help artists engage critically with AI technologies on their own terms. She also co-founded meson.press, an open-access digital publishing initiative, and advocates for demystifying technology so critical thinkers—rather than just profit-seekers—shape its development. HOST Severin Matusek is a cultural theorist and founder of co—matter, a creative studio exploring the cultural and societal impact of new technologies. IDEAS AND PEOPLE IN CONTEXT * The Silent Revolution: How Digitization Transforms Knowledge, Work, Journalism and Politics Without Making Too Much Noise (2012) - Mercedes Bunz's early examination of how algorithms shape society, published before AI became mainstream. * "How Not to Be Governed Like That by Our Digital Technologies" [https://meson.press/books/how-not-to-be-governed-like-that/] - Mercedes Bunz's recent publication exploring digital governance and autonomy. * "Why Technology Needs Artists" - Publication exploring the critical role of artists in shaping technological development. https://www.buchhandlung-walther-koenig.de/en/why-technology-needs-artists [https://www.buchhandlung-walther-koenig.de/en/why-technology-needs-artists] * Creative AI Lab - Collaboration between King's College London and Serpentine Gallery helping artists engage with AI technologies and create alternative narratives. https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/creative-ai-lab/ [https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/creative-ai-lab/] * King's College London, Department of Digital Humanities - Where Mercedes Bunz is Professor of Digital Culture and Society. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ddh [https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ddh] * Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst - Artist duo working experimentally with AI technologies. https://herndondryhurst.studio/ [https://herndondryhurst.studio/] * Dmstfctn - Artist group with studio at Somerset House working around AI ecosystems. https://dmstfctn.net/ [https://dmstfctn.net/] * Alice Parrish - Artist approaching AI through linguistic poetry. https://aliceparrish.com/ [https://aliceparrish.com/] CREDITS The Vienna Business Agency supports new companies, projects and products that develop Vienna's creative industries further. Find out more at http://viennabusinessagency.at [http://viennabusinessagency.at]. Editorial & Production Team (in alphabetical order): Carina Dala, Severin Matusek, Elisabeth Noever-Ginthör, Alice Smith, Heinz Wolf. Theme Music by Hell Mutang.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: What Would You Do?

Playing vs seeing an artwork GUEST Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley is a Berlin-based artist who works predominantly in animation, sound, video game development, and performance, creating interactive spaces. Her practice focuses on intertwining lived experience with fiction to imaginatively retell the stories of Black Trans people. HOST Severin Matusek is a cultural theorist and founder of co—matter, a research & strategy studio exploring the cultural and societal impact of new technologies. IDEAS AND PEOPLE IN CONTEXT * Black Trans Archive https://blacktransarchive.com/ [https://blacktransarchive.com/] * "I can’t remember a time I didn’t need you" https://transmediale.de/de/artwork/i-cant-remember-a-time-i-didnt-need-you [https://transmediale.de/de/artwork/i-cant-remember-a-time-i-didnt-need-you] * Resurrection Lands [https://onesouthend.com/resurrection-lands/ ](https://onesouthend.com/resurrection-lands/ ) * The Soul Station at Light Art Space in Berlin, 2024 https://www.las-art.foundation/programme/the-soul-station [https://www.las-art.foundation/programme/the-soul-station] * Trans & Conditions, CIRCA, 2025 https://circa.art/exhibition/danielle-brathwaite-shirley-trans-conditions/ [https://circa.art/exhibition/danielle-brathwaite-shirley-trans-conditions/] CREDITS The Vienna Business Agency supports new companies, projects and products that develop Vienna's creative industries further. Find out more at viennabusinessagency.at. [http://viennabusinessagency.at.] Editorial & Production Team (in alphabetical order): Carina Dala, Mike Evans, Nick Houde, Kesia Inkersole, Severin Matusek, Elisabeth Noever-Ginthör, Alice Smith, Heinz Wolf Theme Music by Hell Mutang.