Profile
Byrke Lou was born in West Berlin, West Germany in 1986. She completed higher education in Berlin and in 2005 moved to Bremen, Germany to pursue university studies. She returned to Berlin in 2013.
Byrke Lou completed a Bachelor of Physics specializing in a field of theoretical physics, Complex Systems. In parallel, she studied the Philosophy of Science and Epistemology. She completed a master in Digital Media at the University of Art Bremen as part of which she completed courses at Bremen’s Music Conservatory on Electro-Acoustic Composition and Audio Technology. Later she studied dance at the Broadway Dance Center, New York and the Millennium Dance Center Los Angeles.
In 2015, she founded “movLab”, an open research group that discusses the impact of digitizing human bodies, builds diy motion capture systems and produces works of art. In 2017 she was the first to give courses on performance in virtual and augmented realities (University of the Arts, Berlin). From 2018 she additionally taught AI music production and composition (University of the Arts, Berlin). In 2017, she was social media manager for Michela Magas, who was European Woman Innovator 2017 and advisor on innovation for the G7. Byrke Lou codes in over ten programming languages and speaks four natural languages. She works internationally.
Background of Work Titles
We all know “c” as the symbol for the speed of light, and we know “∞” to symbolize infinity. My work’s names are a notation system of coordinates, that mark current and future technological developments.
CV
Personal
Born in 1986 in West Berlin, West Germany
Resides and works in Berlin, Germany
Education
2006 – 10 B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
2010 – 15 M.A. in Digital Media, University of the Arts Bremen, Bremen, Germany
2008 – 15 Visiting student: Epistomology, Philosophy of Science, fine art classes of Franka Hörnschemeyer, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Jean-François Guiton, Paco Knöller and side listener Sound Studies, UdK Berlin, Germany
2016 International Student, Broadway Dance Center, N.Y.C., New York
2017 & 18 International Student, Millenium Dance Complex, Los Angeles, California
Grants, Awards & Residencies (selected)
2023/24, Artist in Residence, Foreign Object & THE.SPACE Gallery, San Francisco, California
2020, Virtual Partner Residency, Goethe-Institut, Munich, Germany
2019, Artist in Residence, Factory Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2018, International Tour Fund, Initiative Musik, Berlin, Germany
2016, CityTax Berlin, “movLab“ Community at SPEKTRUM Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2015, Art and Science Award, Art and Science Hackathon Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2013, Scholarship holder, Mentoring Program HfK Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Exhibitions in Physical Space (selected)
2023 Intelligence Unbound, THE.SPACE Gallery, San Francisco
2021 Superfluidity, MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
2020 Audiosfera, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain
2018 RAW [0.3,y,0.75], modular+ gallery, Berlin, Germany
2017 Inner Other, Gossamer Fog, London, United Kingdom
2016 Long Night of Sciences, Max Planck Institute (MPI-CBG, for Molecular Cell
Biology and Genetics), Dresden, Germany
2013 addicted to random, Händel-Haus Halle, Halle, Germany
Exhibitions in Mixed Reality Space (selected)
2021 Venice Biennale VR Expanded, Venice, Italy & online
2021 SXSW Online XR, opening, SXSW, online
2020 Transformation, CTM Festival, online
2013 BWPWAP, Transmediale, Berlin, Germany & online
2012 Farbfest Bauhaus Dessau, Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau, Germany & online
2012 THE BIG PICTURE – Weltbilder für die Zukunft, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria & online
Performances Physical Space (selected)
2022, CityLab, Rosinenbar Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin, Germany
2019, SXSW official showcasing artist at opening night, SXSW, Austin, Texas
2018, From Germany to L.A.: 50 years of sister cities, Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California
2017, FearAngerLove, CTM Festival opening night, Berlin, Germany
2016, There’s Nothing Left but the Future, 3hd festival, Berlin, Germany
2014, Afraid Of Falling, Studio Nihil Baxter, Berlin Germany
Performances in Mixed Reality Space (selected)
2023, bayes{xix}, xix gallery, Online
2021, SXSW Online XR, SXSW XR space, Online
2018, The Wrong Biennale, Panke Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2017, AI & Blockchain & Algorithms, SAVYY Funk at documenta 14, Berlin, Germany
2013, xXz, The Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Collections
Byrke Lou is collected by various private collectors in Germany, U.S.A., UK, Spain, Russia, and Serbia.
Representation & Agents
Current Gallery Representation and agent for Greater China: Vlatka Javonovic, Modern Sky Beijing
Bibliography
Byrke Lou, “Imagining Space” at https://digitalart.kuenstlerinnenpreis.nrw/blog (2021).
Greg J. Smith, “MMOMA Show Parses Superfluidity in a Moment of Crisis” in holo.mag (2021).
Byrke Lou, Arabian Prince, Helen Sartory, Luann Williams, “More Communication, Less Consumption
– How music tech can respond to chrisis” in Music Tectonics podcast (2021).
Byrke Lou, “math x art” in Your Mom’s Arts x Music x New Tech – Episode 8: fourculture podcast (2020).
Byrke Lou, “math x art” in Your Mom’s Arts x Music x New Tech – Episode 8: reboot.fm podcast (2020).
Christoph Schrag, “Unsigned” in Radio Fritz (2020).
Weaver, Rick, “SXSW Music Review – German physicist scans for life and structure with digital soul” in Austin Chronicle (2019).
Weaver, Rick, “16 Experimentalists to Help You Get Weird at SXSW” in Austin Chronicle (2019).
Kastrup, Dennis, “Mit dem Plattenspieler kreierte Gedankenwelten” at Deutschlandfunk Kultur (2019).
weiz, “I’m Super Happy to See Our Art Influence Technology” in Modernsky Magazine (2019).
Kastrup, Dennis, “Byrke Lou” in Strom und Drang by Radio Eins (2018).
Poemproducer, “AI & Blockchain & Algorithms” at SAVYY Funk the radio of documenta 14 (2017).
Jenny Genzmer, “Wie lernen Computer menschliche Bewegungen“ in Deutschlandfunk Kultur (2017).
Byrke Lou, “Physics and Aesthetics of Digital Archiving” in Intangible Cultural Heritage and Innovation Blog (2015).
University Teaching
2023, AI in Fine Art, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria
2023, Transformations between analogue and digital space, University of Music and Performing Arts x IEM, Graz, Austria
2019, Exploring AI – Artificial Intelligence and Ethics, UdK Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2018, Alien Habitats – Virtual Reality Performance, UdK Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2018, Artificial Intelligence Music, UdK Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2017, Virtual Reality Club Experiences, UdK Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2017, Music Performance in Virtual Reality, UdK Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2016, Sound and Space for Fashion Performance, University of the Arts Bremen, Berlin, Germany
Talks (selected)
2024, Artist Talk, realtime.affairs, Berlin, Germany
2024, crying AI, European Future: Philosophical and Educational Studies, Kherson National Technical University in Ukraine, online
2023, Artist Talk, xix Gallery, online
2023, Ethical AI, MWM, Berlin, Germany
2019, AI for Music Creation, Musik und Technologie, Stuttgart, Germany
2019, VR, AR and XR for Musicians and the Music Business Eco System, ITFS , Stuttgart, Germany
2019, AI for Music Creation, SXSW Interactive Festival, Austin, Texas
2018, The Future of Entertainment, Sequencer Tour re:publica, Los Angeles, California
2018, Music and Emotion in Immersive VR, EmoJam2 by Melodrive, Berlin, Germany
2017, The Virtual Club, Stadt nach 8 conference, Berlin, Germany
2017, VR Music Technology, Hybrid Music Lab at TOA Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2016, MovLab: Reinventing Human Sensing for Virtual Realities; DIY, European Citicen Science Association, Berlin, Germany
Curating
2017, The Virtual Club, VR exhibition, Most Wanted: Music conference, Berlin, Germany
2017, CTM Music Makers Hacklab, co-host, CTM Festival, Berlin, Germany
2016, ReSense Festival, five day performance art happening for reinventing sensing for virtual realities, SPEKTRUM, Berlin, Germany
Research
2015 – ongoing, movLab, community founder, movLab research lab, Berlin, Germany
2017, VR Music Technology Lab, Tech Open Air, Berlin, Germany
2016, Transhumanism Performance Lab, Fellow, Music Tech Fest, Berlin Germany
2016, MusicMakers Hacklab, Fellow, CTM Festival, Berlin, Germany
2015, Master Thesis in Digital Media Art, artistic research on finding “the new” in science and technology, Bremen, Germany
2011, Bachelor Thesis in Physics Complex Systems, numeric analysis of a mathematical model, Bremen, Germany
2009, Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC), analyzing a voter model, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
2010, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM), analysis of heat transportation in the Atlantic Ocean,
Bremen, Germany
Jury
2021, Art Prize NRW 2022 (first time awarded in the field of Digital Arts), presented online & at K21, Düsseldorf, Germany
2017, Hybrid Music Lab, TOA Berlin 2017
2017 CTM Hacklab, CTM Festival 2017
Releases
2023, xix {*+}, NFT release, Your Moms Agency, Berlin, Germany & Guzzo, Barcelona, Spain
2020, bayes, digital release + audio cassette, Detroit Underground, Los Angeles California
2018, CODE, vinyl record, Research & Waves with ZCKR records