Audio-visual recording and playback technologies shape cultural practices and perceptions of everyday life. They, therefore, take an active place in our understanding of society and participation in social change. Moreover, the cultural analysis of the sonic and visual realms assists us in understanding the infrastructures of media production by considering the social issues embedded within, such as gender, class, race and colonial constructions, technological and generational disparities, or geopolitical and historical dis/continuities.
Our 
started in late 2018 as a space for open and informal dialogue, and has developed into a vibrant venue with diverse guests including scholars, filmmakers, and students performing multiple formats of (audio-visual) presentations such as film screenings, workshops, and a departmental colloquium (2021). We have been developing a transdisciplinary standpoint to engage with audio-visual re-production and its social, material and ecological impacts. We focus on asking empirical and cultural-analytical questions from the viewpoints of makers, researchers, consumers, and users. On the one hand, cultural research on and with audio-visual technologies means conducting empirical research through participation and observation to understand contemporary, and past audio-visual practises of daily life. On the other hand, this study helps us break with the ocularcentrism and discuss the possibilities of multi-sensory, multi-modal ethnographies.
We invite all colleagues and students who want to collectively address such theoretical, conceptual, and practical questions to participate in our meetings, which we regularly announce through our blog, mailing list and Twitter (@faerber_alexa).
Please send an email to isil.karatas@univie.ac.at to sign up for our mailing list.
Alexa Färber and Işıl Karataş