rafael
dernbach
about
Hi, I'm Rafael, I am a researcher, curator and strategist. I design narratives, experiences and research processes. Organizations work with me to understand emerging narratives and create future experiences.
Most recently, I was a Fellow at the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE). Previously, I was a post-doctoral researcher at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland and affiliate researcher at the Käthe Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic Studies at Heidelberg University.
As Director of Emerging Narratives at fischerAppelt advisors, I initiated and led a new strategy research unit exploring the impact of narratives on organizations. I also helped to open Europe’s first future museum Futurium in Berlin as a research associate and strategist. In 2018, I completed a Ph.D. on anticipatory realism in post-cinematic art at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. During my doctoral research, I was a visiting researcher at Princeton University and Freie Universität Berlin. Prior to this, I worked as a journalist for the Grimme Award winning TV show Elektrischer Reporter (ZDFinfo) and several other media outlets.
My passion is teaching and I have developed and given seminars on media theory, design theory and curating at University of Cambridge, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Universität der Künste Berlin and the Smart City Programme at Macromedia Berlin.
WORK
We can no longer understand the present without its futures.
2023 Experimental conference
2023 Experimental Conference
2022 Experimental Conference
INSIDE locarnoS AMBITIOUS 24H TALK - MUBI NOTES
ATTENTION ECONOMY AT THE LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL - USI
2020 Talk SERiES
DIE ZUKUNFT STEHT STILL - ZEIT ONLINE
DER SIM - ZEIT ONLINE
PORTRAIT OF A HOPING SPECIES - AUSTRIAN STUDIES
THE UNCANNY OF SURVEILLANCE - ARCHITECTURE & CONTROL
HACKING THE VISION MACHINE - TEKNOKULTURA
EXPLORING NARRATIVE STRATEGY - INNOVATION
AI DOES NOT AFFECT EVERYONE EQUALLY - GOETHE INSTITUTE, CYPRUS
What are futures? Which role do media and milieus play in their construction? How are hypes created? how can one be more conscious and resilient in futures thinking?
2023 SWISS EMBASSY MOROCCO / MEM
2023 SCHWEIZERISCHE STUDIENSTIFTUNG
WHAT IS AN IMAGE TODAY? How can images ACT aS conceptS? What makes a convincing visual argument?
2022 UNIVERSITÁ DELLA SVIZZERA ITALIANA
How can museums exhibit futures? A seminar exploring speculative curatorial methods.
2020 HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY BERLIN
contact
For comissions, invitations or collaboration
about
Hi, I'm Rafael, I am a researcher, curator and strategist. I design strategic narratives, experiences and research processes. Organizations work with me to understand emerging narratives and translate them into experiential futures.
Most recently, I was a Fellow at the Creative Impact Research Centre Europe (CIRCE). Previously, I was a post-doctoral researcher at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland and affiliate researcher at the Käthe Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic Studies at Heidelberg University.
As Director of Emerging Narratives at fischerAppelt advisors, I initiated and led a new strategy research unit exploring the impact of narratives on organizations. I also helped to open Europe’s first future museum Futurium in Berlin as a research associate and strategist. In 2018, I completed a Ph.D. on anticipatory realism in post-cinematic art at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. During my doctoral research, I was a visiting researcher at Princeton University and Freie Universität Berlin. Prior to this, I worked as a journalist for the Grimme Award winning TV show Elektrischer Reporter (ZDFinfo) and several other media outlets.
My passion is teaching and I have developed and given seminars on media theory, design theory and curating at University of Cambridge, Humboldt Universität Berlin, Universität der Künste Berlin and the Smart City Programme at Macromedia Berlin.
WORK
We can no longer understand the present without its futures.
2023 Conference
Where dreams collide with artificial intelligence - SWI
Locarno muss zum Labor werden - NZZ
Intelligente sogno di una notte di mezza estate - LA REGIONE
2023 Conference
2022 Conference
Inside Locarno's ambitious 24h talk - MUBI NOTES
Attention Economy at the Locarno Film Festival - USI
L'attenzione dura (alemno) 24 ore a Locarno - RSI
2021 Talk series
Die Zukunft steht still - ZEIT ONLINE
Der Sim - ZEIT ONLINE
Portrait of a hoping species - AUSTRIAN STUDIES
The uncanny of surveillance - ARCHITECTURE & CONTROL
Hacking the vision machine - TEKNOKULTURA
Exploring Narrative Strategy - INNOVATION
AI does not affect everyone equally - Goethe Institute Cyprus
Why I stopped calling things digital - EN PLEIN AIR
David MacDougall - ON OBSERVING OTHERS
Joshua Oppenheimer - EMPATHY AFTER THE ACT OF KILLING
Ilija Trojanow - WIE BESTIMMT SICH WIDERSTAND
What are futures? Which role do media and milieus play in their construction? How are hypes created? How can one be more conscious and resilient regarding futures thinking?
2023 swiss embassy morocco / MEM
2023 Schweizerische studienstiftung
What is an image today? How do images derive from concepts? How do images act as concepts? What makes a convincing visual argument?
2020 Universitá della svizzera italiana
How can museums exhibit futures? How can futures be experienced? A seminar exploring speculative curatorial methods.
2020 HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITY BERLIN
contact
For comissions, invitations or
request for
collaboration.