Annie Kurz

Annie Kurz is a researcher and artist at HfG Offenbach (Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach am Main), where she is conducting PhD research in the Department of Art under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Marc Ries and Prof. Kerstin Cmelka. She also teaches at the University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim. Her work bridges art, philosophy of technology, and postphenomenology, focusing on human-technology relations during states of disconnection.

Her research interests center on postphenomenology, digital detox, and disconnection studies, with a speculative-artistic methodology. She investigates how being offline, unplugged, or disconnected shapes identity and lifeworlds, introducing the concept of absence relations. Her work draws on Don Ihde’s theories, emphasizing the multistability and non-neutrality of technology.

The thematic trends in her recent publications and presentations reflect a deep engagement with the aesthetics of technological suspicion, non-use, and philosophical art practices. Her work spans from theoretical inquiry to performative interventions, such as Frauenbewegungen and SkypeLab, exploring care, identity, and digital mediation across transcontinental collaborations.

• Lecture Prize of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg (2013) - awarded to SkypeLab

Annie Kurz actively involves students in her seminars and artistic projects, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. Her research is supported through academic collaborations and exhibitions, including her upcoming show Technocreep: Aesthetics of Suspicion at the Ludwigsburg Art Association (2024). She has presented at major international conferences such as EASST/4S, SPT, and PHTR.

She is a core member of the SkypeLab research-art collective, which explores digital interfaces, perception, and identity through long-term transdisciplinary collaborations. The project has evolved into exhibitions, publications, and global networking across universities in Germany, Australia, and beyond. Another key initiative is OFF LABOR, a speculative laboratory exploring what it means to be 'off' digital networks, contributing to emerging disconnection studies.