Lines between Sight and Sound. New Developments in AV Performance

New Developments in AV Performance AV performances involving the real-time processing of images and sound have long been an integral part of artistic expression in areas such as the arts, music, theatre, design, or clubs. In the 2000s, when the technical possibilities of combining images and sound in real time were still new, a whole landscape of festivals, venues, and events dedicated to exploring these new AV forms emerged. At the same time, related discourse, teaching, and research developed. However, AV performances have become less visible over the last few years, with festivals and venues closing down or changing direction. Recently, though, a revival has become palpable through the emergence of new festivals and venues, and a younger generation of artists. And there is a renewed interest in the related discourse – as evidenced by the growing number of downloads of our publications. We, the three presenters conducted the above diagnostics independently, but subsequently joined forces to initiate a research project exploring the contemporary field of AV performances. We plan to interview artists, curators, and other actors in this field to find out more about: 1) artistic approaches to AV performance, 2) important artistic and theoretical references, 3) the use of (new) technologies; and 4) performance topics. Our different geographical and linguistic backgrounds (Columbia, Portugal, Germany) open up many opportunities for the interviews. Furthermore, the project team comprises different generations: Ana Carvalho and Cornelia Lund are key figures of the explorative phase of the 2000s, Sara Luna Ruíz belongs to a younger, very diverse and international generation of actors. We will start the interviews in July 2025. At the Sound/Image Festival, we plan to present the project and share its first results. We hope for an animated discussion and highly welcome critical feedback!

Ana Carvalho is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maia and a researcher at CIAC (University of the Algarve). She coordinates the project Ephemeral Expanded and co-edited The Audiovisual Breakthrough. Her curatorial work includes the exhibitions Omniscience: Strategies of Fracture and Escape (2021) and Abducted Realities (2023). Since 2016, she has organised the Encounters of Expressions between Sound and Image. Her research focuses on the intersection between digital technologies, their social implications, and ecological concerns.

Dr Cornelia Lund is an art, film and media scholar, and curator living in Berlin. Since 2004, she has been co-director of fluctuating images, an independent platform for media art and design (www.fluctuating-images.de). Currently, she is a Research Fellow at the University of the Arts Bremen. Her curatorial work includes Connecting Afro Futures. Fashion x Hair x Design (2019), Laboratoire Kontempo Kinshasa–Berlin (2021/2022), and Under Construction (screenings and DJing, 2023/24). She is co-editor of Audio.Visual – On Visual Music and Related Media (2009), The Audiovisual Breakthrough (2015), and the online platforms Post-digital Culture (2016–), Lund Audiovisual Writings (2017). Her research interests include audiovisual artistic practices, documentary practices, and de- and postcolonial theories.

Sara Luna Ruíz is a visual artist and VJ from Medellín, currently based in Berlin. She teaches video mapping and curates digital art at ARTKA, a creative platform based in Bogotá, Colombia. Her work focuses on interactive installations, real-time visuals, video mapping, and experimental media art, often exploring themes related to complex systems, politics, and the intersections of science, art, and technology. With over eight years of experience in the field, she has received several awards and has presented her work at international festivals including Glastonbury (UK), Draaimolen (Netherlands), and numerous events across Columbia.

In the framework of AV Assemblies: https://www.fluctuating-images.de/projects-av-assemblies/

More information:

https://blogs.gre.ac.uk/sound-image/2025/10/30/sound-image-2025-festival-talks-3/

https://blogs.gre.ac.uk/sound-image/2025/10/30/sound-image-2025-festival/