Direct Media [ Sound ] at Kunsthochschule Kassel is a speculative research facility dedicated to exploring the complexities of vibration—not merely as an acoustic phenomenon, but as both an ontological and epistemological framework.

This research unit investigates the physical dynamics of vibration alongside the phenomenological experience of listening, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences.

Direct Media offers a space for students to experience, question, and engage with the haptic qualities of listening, investigating the role of acoustic perception in shaping our notion of equilibrium, systemic linkage, affect, and agency. It examines how vibrational matter informs and interconnects within processes of perception, aural embodiment, spatial experiences, and biological systems.

Through this lens, listening is understood not as a passive act but as a form of collective reflection by employing experimental methods such as electric signal amplification, wavelength analysis, energy propagation tracing, and perceptual inquiry.

Rejecting the notion of sound as merely a supplementary medium to other artistic fields, this research unit positions vibration as a foundational material. It aims to foster dialogue with other faculties across the University of Kassel, opening new modes of thinking that transcend epistemic boundaries.

Established in 2020, Sound at Kunsthochschule Kassel cultivates a space for artistic experimentation and transdisciplinary knowledge production. Rooted in the liminal zones between presence and invisibility, it embraces sound not only as a form of artistic expression but as a method for engaging with the layered realities of contemporary culture.

Functioning as a laboratory, the department enables students to conceptualize and craft perceptual experiences through the design of electronic interfaces, digital audio structures, site-specific practices, durational performances, three-dimensional arrangements, sculpture, and time-based formats.