transmoderna crafts immersive physical and virtual ambients
As emerging technologies continue to inspire creative expressions in the digital sphere, Transmoderna carves its own space amid the buzz. Situated at the intersection of digital arts and electronic music, Transmoderna has evolved into a transdisciplinary artist collective by integrating new media and technologies into club and museum settings alike. ‘Our goal is to unify the different arts and media used in our works. We thrive to create a total work of art, something that doesn’t belong here or there, something that is its own territory,’ Ana Ofak, co-founder and creative director, tells designboom. Spearheaded by DJ Steffen ‘Dixon’ Berkhahn, the Berlin- and Lisbon-based collective has since 2018 sparked a new era of transformative experiences, rooted in collaborations. Transmoderna’s artistic projects thrive in both exhibition settings and on dancefloors, straddling the line between two worlds that are often perceived as antithetical. Their signature immersive ambients merge artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and audio-reactive worldbuilding, pushing the boundaries of synaesthesia.
One of their most prolific undertakings, Terraforming CIR, is a virtual reality installation that has evolved into a screen-based work. It has formed part of the Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in the Digital Age exhibition curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and shown at the Julia Stoschek Foundation and Centre Pompidou Metz. Its cinematic narrative is set in the post-anthropocene, immersing its audience in speculative realms and envisioning enigmatic otherworldly planetary colonies devoid of human presence, yet brimming with vitality. ‘Terraforming, a process of making an uninhabited planet habitable, is turned upside down. What is being terraformed is the earth itself, while machine learning and AI systems serve as the gateway to uncharted scenarios,’ shares Ofak. Read on to learn more about Transmoderna’s journey of branching into new territories of new media, ethos of collaboration to enrich digital culture, practice of working between digital and virtual realms, and more.
Ana Ofak and Steffen Berkhahn, courtesy Christian Werner
interview: from virtual club nights to speculative realms
designboom (DB): Can you introduce us to Transmoderna?
Transmoderna (TM): Transmoderna is an artist collective and studio based in Berlin and Lisbon. It explores the possibilities that arise from merging digital arts and electronic music. We — Steffen ‘Dixon’ Berkhahn and myself — founded Transmoderna in 2018, when he was invited to do a DJ residency at the Pacha club in Ibiza. Together with a production team of new media artists and system designers we developed a club night that pushed the boundaries of what a dance floor experience can feel like.
DB: What has your journey looked like so far?
TM: Back then, Transmoderna was an experimental approach to clubbing. We introduced new media — LED screens, kinetic sculptures, and augmented reality — into the traditional setting of Pacha nightclub. As Transmoderna evolved and grew, we were invited to show both in museums and club environments, bridging the gap between two cultures that are often considered antithetical.
Due to that hybrid interest we mostly work in two fields artistically: on immersive ambients and large-scale event productions. Both are intertwined, as we create pieces that can be shown in both settings. The difference is that we specialise in virtual reality installations, when it comes to more intimate settings of a museum or a gallery, and on unique LED system design for large event venues.
Transmoderna’s ‘Terraforming CIR’ x Gabriel Massan at London’s Printworks 2021 | image courtesy Transmoderna
DB: Which milestones have you been most proud of?
TM: We are proud of all of our projects, because with each we ventured into a new medium or a new technology together with a fluid team of artists and developers. Transmoderna is like a cat, rebirthing itself with each new fall into a different project framework.
Having said that, a very special milestone has been the introduction of our AI-based ecosystem at Printworks London in 2021. When we first started to experiment with AI in 2020, there were no commercial platforms offering models or presets like Midjourney and Dall-E today. So when we developed our in-house AI app it was a huge step for us.
It is a generative tool, so it creates images in real-time according to a model you train it on. The exception of our tool is that it’s audio-reactive. It reacts to the music played. We have several parameters we can tweak, so the impression of what you see is truly in sync with what you hear. That show at Printworks was pure euphoria for everybody. The pandemic was coming to its end, clubs were open again, and we all wanted to experience something fresh and radical. Having human agents work with a non-human agent (AI app) like that — allowing it to control visual output fully — was truly unreal.
‘Xenopunk’ at London’s Printworks 2022 | image by Connor Baker
the hybrid collective immerses in audio-visual spectacles
DB: The digital art realm is a vibrant, multidisciplinary space that’s rapidly evolving. How does Transmoderna find its position here?
DB: We are carving our own space. Due to the hybrid and collaborative nature of Transmoderna, we are standing on two grounds — on the grounds of digitals arts and on the grounds of electronic music — while at the same time drawing things together. Our goal is to unify the different arts and media used in our works. We thrive to create a total work of art, something that doesn’t belong here or there, something that is its own territory.
DB: How do you ensure each experience is meaningfully immersive for your audience?
TM: It all comes down to how the sound, visuals, and the scenography entangle.
In our large-scale events we try to showcase what we call the ‘immersive pit’: a unique screen set up that surrounds the dancefloor and gives the audience the impression of being hugged by the experience. In our virtual reality installations on the other hand it is all about implementing sound that melts together with the visuals, aiding their mutual impact; taking what is seen deeper toward a corporeal experience.
Nxt Museum x Transmoderna – Artist in Residence – ADE 2022 | image by Maarten Nauw
DB: What role does sound play in your works?
TM: Music is crucially important, if not the most important element of our works. We produce new pieces and tracks for each installation, and tweak the visuals so that they become one. The direction of a new piece will always be that of music and images united.
Especially with our works that were exhibited in museums like ‘Machine Concrète’ (2021) and ‘Terraforming CIR’ (2022-2024), we learned from the audience of the importance sound and music had for the genuinity of their experience; an experience to sink senses and consciousness into, rather than just something to look at and interpret.
In a club or at events, music is the framework set at the base of everything. When we talk about real-time visuals then it’s visuals merging with the BPM of the music. For us it is important that the relation between sound and visuals is kindred and not just supplementing.
