The Akademie für Theater und Digitalität (Academy for Theatre and Digitality) opened its new building of almost 2000 m2 in Dortmund's emerging digital quarter on 02 September 2023. Prasanna Oommen moderated the event. In the presence of Ina BrandesMinister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Thomas Westphal, Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund, and 150 guests from the fields of art and politics, science and business, the building was handed over to the public. Fifteen artistic-digital projects entertained the opening ceremony with a colourful mix of VR, AR, XR, 3D printing, motion capturing, chat bots and AI - from guided meditations in virtual reality to the participants' personal vision of the theatre of the future.
In the course of two rounds of talks with representatives of culture, cultural administration, funding bodies for culture, cultural architecture and, last but not least, academia, Prasanna Oommen spoke about the pioneering role that the institution plays and its special potential for the city and urban society, for the theatre and other cultural institutions, as well as for the artists, academics and developers.
A review of the event can be found here.
Image: © Akademie für Theater und Digitalität Dortmund