A nexus is a connection. What happens when art, technology and the public react? We think: new perspectives on the impact of technologies and new spaces for ethical dialogue and discourse.

About Us

05

We develop and organize innovative formats of science communication and reflection for the Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools in the project »Nexus Experiments: Participative art/science projects and ethical discourse on neurotechnology«. In regular events and participatory projects – we call them »Experiments« – researchers enter into a dialogue with the public. To this end, we create interfaces between art, science and ethics and search for new models for the transfer of knowledge.

  • 36
    scientists
  • 58
    events since 2012
  • 5
    collaborations with cultural institutions
  • 34
    involved artists
  • 70-
    300
    visitors per event

Why philosophy and Neurosciences
?
How does technology engage with the brain
?
Where do art and science meet
?
How can I get involved
?

The Project

Nexus Experiments is part of the working group »Norms and Nature« led by Oliver Müller at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Freiburg.The research and communication project is funded by the Excellence Cluster BrainLinks-BrainTools of the University of Freiburg. The aim of the cluster is to develop medical technology that interacts directly with the nervous system. It combines life sciences and engineering as well as their clinical applications. BrainLinks-BrainTools is a cluster of excellence that was founded in 2012 as part of the German Excellence Initiative and is funded by the German Research Foundation DFG (Funding Code EXC 1086).The project Nexus Experiment was called »Reaching Out« until 2017.

Norms and Nature at the University of Freiburg
Poster
Press review

Team

Oliver Müller Foto: Mathilde Bessert-Nettelbeck
Prof. Dr. Oliver Müller
Director
oliver.mueller [AT] brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de
WWW
Heisenberg Professor of Philosophy with focus on present and technology
2008 until 2013
Director of various projects on topics in neuroethics, biomedical ethics and ethics of synthetic biology at the University of Freiburg
since 2012
Principal Investigator at the Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools
2012
Habilitation and Venia legendi in Philosophy
since 2013
Head of the projects »Mechanized Brains« (BrainLinks-BrainTools)
Seit 2014
Head of the Junior Research Group NPAC: A neuro-philo-action compendium (BrainLinks-BrainTools)
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Sabrina Livanec
Conception, Coordination, Finance
sabrina.livanec [AT] brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de
Studium der Neueren deutschen Literaturgeschichte, Romanistik und Betriebswirtschaftslehre in Duisburg, Angers und Freiburg.
2014-2016
wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Projekt: Störung/Ha-fra-ah (Kulturstiftung des Bundes)
Seit Juni 2015
Seit Juni 2015 im Projekt für Konzeption und Organisation zuständig.
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Mathilde Bessert-Nettelbeck Foto: Tony Franzky
Mathilde Bessert-Nettelbeck
Conception, Coordination, Press
mathilde.bessert-nettelbeck [AT] brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de
2010
Diploma in biology at the University of Tübingen
2010-2013
Collaboration in behavioural biology research projects at the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Berne
2013-2015
Science communication and public relations work at the press office of the University of Freiburg and for the Cluster of Excellence BIOSS
since June 2015
Responsible for conception and organisation of the project
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Tony Franzky,
coordination and IT
tony.franzky [AT] brainlinks-braintools.uni-freiburg.de
2007-2010
BA studies of philosophy, political science and sociology in Dresden
2010-2013
MA studies of philosophy and communication sciences in Dresden.
2014-2016
Scientific assistant in the IQF project Plagiarism prevention.
since 2015
PhD student at the Institute for Media Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg.
since 2017
Parental leave representation in the "Nexus Experiments" project
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Scientific Advisors

Prof. em. Dr. Ad Aertsen,
Neurobiology and Biophysics
Bernstein Center Freiburg
WWW
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Egert, Biomicrotechnology, Dept. of Microsystems Engineering
Bernstein Center Freiburg
WWW
Prof. Dr. Carsten Mehring, Neurobiology and Neurotechnology
Bernstein Center Freiburg
WWW
Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz, Biomedical Microtechnology
Bernstein Center Freiburg
WWW

Cooperation Partners

In the project we are always looking for contacts to academic and cultural institutions that want to realize events together with us. We cooperate intensively with the Bernstein Center Freiburg, an institute for computational neuroscience especially in the context of events at the Werkstatt of the Center. Furthermore, Freiburg Theater is an important cooperation partner for projects such as Disorder/ Hafraah. The Kommunales Kino, the Literaturhaus Freiburg and the Museum für Neue Kunst also support our work.

funding by

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