Berlin, Germany

Visual Ethnography: An Exploration of Urban Interfaces

Unlock the art of documenting and presenting diverse social and material relations in Berlin through film. Engage with hands-on filmmaking using minimal equipment. Ideal for creative minds exploring societal phenomena.

Engaging with the social and material relations in urban settings raises the question: How do we effectively document and present these multifaceted relations through visual media? Berlin, characterized by its urban interfaces, is a city rife with intricate socio-spatial dynamics that are waiting to be explored. Ethnography, as a method, dives deep into understanding different people and entities by emphasizing their interrelations within their environments. The practice of visual ethnography takes this one step further. It seeks to capture these relations and present them visually, making the intricate weave of urban life discernible and relatable. Within the backdrop of Berlin, participants will immerse themselves in this practice, offering a fresh perspective into the city’s fabric through the lens of its interfaces. Participants will be provided with ethnographic field sites reflecting the diversity of Berlin’s urban fabric, and then asked to film and edit a visual ethnographic short film in these field sites.

The course is anchored in providing participants a basic theoretical and practical understanding of visual ethnography. It aims to prompt participants to dissect the city’s interfaces, while employing visual media as a tool to convey their findings and reflections.

This course is suitable to anyone with an interest in exploring social and material phenomena through a creative lens. We will be covering filmmaking with a smartphone and minimal equipment; however, this course is not an in-depth filmmaking course.

Course leader

Deborah Sie, David Lowis and Owain Astles.

Fee info

EUR 630: EUR 630