Festival from 14.-15. February 2026, 11-18:00
Kornhausforum, Kornhausplatz 18, Stadtsaal, 1. OG, Bern
A two-day festival all about sensors! At “Captured!”, visitors can explore the impact of sensor technology on our daily lives. They can experience provocative artworks and audience interventions using digital capture technologies firsthand.
Sensors are everywhere—from the clothes we wear to the cars we drive to the spaces where we work, exercise, drink, play, and sleep. Combined with artificial intelligence, these sensors constantly collect and analyze data about us, blurring the boundaries between our bodies and our devices. “Captured!” at the Kornhausforum explores how these sensor and data collection devices are changing our understanding and perception of the world around us.
The festival presents artistic projects from Switzerland, India, South and North America that deal with how sensors are increasingly shaping our bodies and lives and collecting more and more of our data. The festival’s works focus on the themes of sensor technology, surveillance, and hacking and include video projections and installations, VR works, audio, and a live performance in which visitors can hear and see their biosignals in real time. The artistic works are complemented by short workshops with the audience and interactive discussions with artists, experts, and Swiss activist organizations.
The participants in “Captured!” are part of “Bodies-Machines-Publics,” a two-year art-science-technology project funded by Pro Helvetia that brings together the Kornhausforum (Bern), the Immersive Arts Space/ZHdK (Zurich), Khoj Studios (New Delhi), and the Nave Center for Artistic Residencies and Creation (Santiago de Chile) to explore the artistic use of new technologies and their sociocultural impact. Captured! is supported by the AGORA program of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
The festival is the closure event of the 2 year long project BODIES-MACHINES-PUBLICS, a project funded by Pro Helvetia Synergies.
Credits:
Christopher Salter (curation)
Jana Eske (curation)
Fabio Ballinari (concept and production)
Atelier Pol (key visual)