“Creating a space where artists can engage in critical conversations” – Mark Atkin (CPH:DOX Inter:Active 2025)

The new edition of CPH:DOX will begin on March 19th, with this year’s immersive section focused on exploring resilience, both human and environmental. We had the opportunity to speak with curator Mark Atkin about an edition that will showcase a range of exciting new features and a lineup rich in both artistic and human significance.

Cover: CPH:DOX – CPH:Lab – SCRATCHING THE SURFACE, Wiktor Filip Gacparski, Line Hoven, Alexander Mettin & Felix Patzke, Germany

Untamed: Humanity Rewilded, celebrating small acts of rebellion

MARK ATKIN: The exhibition features 12 projects, encompassing a mix of formats and unified by a central theme: Untamed: Humanity Rewilded. The core inspiration is the resilience of nature – both human nature and environmental – despite persistent repression, whether social or ecological. Just as a plant pushes through concrete, human nature inevitably finds ways to express itself.

Each piece in the exhibition represents an act of defiance: individuals resisting societal constraints or nature reclaiming space. As you move through the exhibition, you’re taking an emotional and political journey, transitioning through various perspectives and interpretations of resilience.

A significant inspiration for this theme comes from Australian philosopher and sociologist Glenn Albrecht. He coins new words to describe contemporary emotions, and one of his most striking inventions is Solastalgia, a blend of solace and nostalgia which captures the unease we feel when our familiar world becomes unrecognizable. This dissonance can stem from environmental degradation or the rapid evolution of technology, that leaves us feeling disconnected and powerless.

This sensation resonates with the queer experience, where societal structures often make individuals feel out of place in what should be their home. Many of the works reflect this malaise, but they also embody acts of rebellion. The exhibition is not dystopian; rather, it guides visitors toward inspiration drawn from nature itself, emphasizing the need for unity with each other and the environment as the only viable way to address these challenges.

CPH:DOX Inter:Active lineup: artistic visions of a changing world

M.A.: A recurring motif among the artists is a return to the idea of the garden, a concept that holds multiple meanings, from the biblical Garden of Eden to speculative visions of a rewilded future in which we participate in a more sensitive manner. 

Many artists explore this theme through different lenses, and others are heading towards that by sharing speculative fictions about some of the problems we face today, such as environmental degradation. 

For instance, The Alluvials by Alice Bucknell is an interactive art game that examines water management in Los Angeles through a series of playable chapters. We’re showing one of those chapters at CPH:DOX Inter:Active this year and it’s the one focusing on wildfires. It’s striking having played it months before the wildfires broke out in L.A. because the experience itself looks exactly like what we saw on the news. 

Huk the Jaguaress by Violeta Ayala revolves around a similar theme, examining Amazonian fires – fires that are human, driven by human greed. And she does that through the lens of an AI-powered robotic jaguar, an ancient protector of the rainforest. Ayala, an Indigenous Quechua artist, joined our CPH:LAB in the past, and she definitely brings a deeply personal and cultural perspective to this work through the eyes of this Jaguaress.

Both these works show a very visible form of environment degradation and in both of them, the main characters are non human. Then we move to projects that have a more positive approach but are still taking a non-human perspective: The Forest That Breathes Us by Jennifer Abbott (a/n we talked about it here) is inspired by ecologist Suzanne Simard’s research on the “Wood Wide Web” as she called the symbiotic relationships between trees and fungal networks. Jennifer Abbot is looking at this concept in a much broader sense and asks for the participants to adopt the perspectives of various non-human entities.

The Garden Says, formerly Garden Alchemy, by Uri Kranot, Michelle Kranot, Sara Topsøe Jensen, Sarah John & Marieke Breyne similarly shifts the focus away from human dominance over nature, proposing a different attitude to nature than does not put humanity on top. The Garden Says is both an immersive VR piece to experience inside and outside the headset, with performers engaging the user in different ways, and a live performance experience, which we will host in the auditorium with live music (a/n read about their experience in CPH:LAB)

Technological perspectives also feature prominently. Natural Contacts by Peter Burr, Mark Fingerhut, Matthew D Gantt, Bridget DeFranco, is a durational piece in which malware infects a computer – specifically a laptop belonging to our Stella! (a/n Stella Ntavara,CPH:LAB Project Manager) – and over 24 hours infects all of her files, rewilding the digital space with organic imagery. 

Similarly, The Caring Machine by Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm questions the ethical implications of AI in our most intimate human moment, the end-of-life. It presents a speculative scenario in which AI guides individuals into the afterlife due to a shortage of human caregivers – something that, with an aging human population and a lack of caregivers, could easily become a reality. An unsettling piece that questions how far we will allow technology to go.

Other projects delve into evolving human relationships. The Girlfriend Experience by Ugo Arsac explores a relatively recent phenomenon among sex workers known as the “Girlfriend Experience.” This is a growing trend where clients seek more intimacy in their encounters reflected in something that sex workers are increasingly offering: connection and emotional closeness. Once again, a piece that taps into that feeling of malaise where all of our social interactions are mediated by digital technologies and much of our behaviour becomes performative.

Tarang by artist Kinnari Saraiya is a visually stunning piece inspired by a dark historical fact: during the colonial period in India, authorities recorded people’s dreams to detect potential rebellions before they happened. Colonial oppression even extended to controlling people’s dreams. Soraiya’s piece explores this theme through an interactive experience designed in a game engine. It features beautiful antique Jacquard loom rolls, painted and embroidered with conductive thread. By touching the threads, viewers can navigate the experience, blending history, technology, and tactile engagement – a new and beautiful way to interact with the piece.

Aggregate by Paris-based collective Distraction is a game that explores “desire lines,” the unofficial paths people create when designated routes aren’t the most direct. These paths, often formed in parks or public spaces, represent people’s need to carve their own way. The game extends this idea by examining how overgrown, desolate areas become cruising grounds for gay men, who create paths to meet one another. The concept is further expanded with AI, questioning what path artificial intelligence might take in its pursuit of intimacy. The game’s title, Aggregate, reflects the collaborative nature of the experience: players create their own desire lines, but never fully reach their goal. One person starts, another continues, much like how cruising areas evolve over time, with each person contributing to the path.

We’re now exploring repressed desire emerging into the open, a theme found in works like Constantinopoliad by Sister Sylvester. A former LAB participant, Sister Sylvester spent time in the Kavafi library in Athens, studying the diaries of Greek poet Konstantinos Kavafi. Written during his youth, these diaries document his journey of discovering his sexual identity in a repressive world. She brings this to life through a beautiful, communal reading experience. Eight people sit together, listening to Sister Sylvester’s narration of the text as they follow along using beautiful hand-crafted illustrated books. As they read, the light activates, revealing hidden illustrations and gradually uncovering the deeper meanings in Kavafi’s words. It’s a powerful way of bringing his repressed desires to the surface.

There’s a beautiful piece by Ahmed Umar that I’m really excited to showcase. I first encountered his work at the Venice Biennale, where it stood out as one of the most striking pieces I saw at the Arsenale. I’m thrilled we can feature his work here in Copenhagen, and even more so that he’ll be joining the festival to speak on a panel about art.

His latest piece, Truth Bears No Scandal, reflects his experiences as a Sudanese-born artist now living in Norway as a political refugee. His work often touches on the cultural tension of being from Sudan in Scandinavia, which are very different places, as well as the struggles he faces as a queer artist within his own culture. In this work, Ahmed Umar examines a number of popular Sudanese songs that, while widely known, are queer love songs that no one openly acknowledges. Everyone knows the hidden story behind these songs, but it remains unspoken. Umar brings this secret to light, performing the songs with incredible beauty and offering a stunning expression of Sudanese culture through a queer lens.

The last piece of the lineup is Songs of Travel by Ben Wahl, Lisley Viraphong & Jack Gutmann. While the other projects are more experimental, this one follows a classic documentary storytelling format, focusing on different migrant experiences. It explores the feeling of being out of place in a society that should feel like home. The piece takes the form of an interactive graphic novel, beautifully executed and deeply moving. Each migrant’s story is unique, making it a rich and impactful piece of storytelling.

Pushing boundaries and connections at CPH:LAB

M. A. – Both the lab and the exhibition are shaped by the idea that technology and storytelling are deeply connected. Marginalized artists, often the first to be affected by changes in technology, tend to have the most interesting and innovative responses. We aim to amplify these voices in both the lab and the exhibition, while also examining how technology influences art creation and impacts society.

This year, we’re presenting nine lab projects in various formats, all in the process of developing prototypes for the festival. Some of these projects have a political or cultural perspective, while others explore the role of AI and technology in both our lives and artistic creation. There’s a lot to be excited about in these diverse and forward-thinking works.

We’re adjusting the format for the lab presentations since there won’t be a symposium, in this edition. What we will have is a “brains trust” session: each project will have 7 minutes to present, followed by discussions with curators, funding organizations, and festival programmers who will assume the role of executive producers. Together, they’ll talk about next steps and what needs to be done. This format encourages collaboration, offering Lab participants valuable insights and practical advice.

Following these sessions, one-on-one meetings will take place, where mentors will help participants navigate potential opportunities and challenges. Often, after pitching at external events, artists struggle to interpret the offers they receive. Are these opportunities legitimate? Should they sign away certain rights? Our mentors will assist in making sense of these responses, ensuring that participants leave with a clear strategy.

The role of art in society: dialogues on artistic craft and more

M.A.: There will be several panels and moments of discussions during CPH:DOX 2025. Artists worldwide are facing increasing censorship, nowadays. Television is failing to represent artistic discourse. Platforms like CPH:DOX are stepping up to fill this gap, creating spaces where artists can engage in critical conversations.

The exhibition itself is an act of resilience, providing a necessary platform for voices that might otherwise be silenced. We will host a panel discussion on the role of art, with Ahmed Umar and Cecilia Wagner Falconstrom discussing their experience with writer, curator and broadcaster Ekow Eshun and poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx. 

There will also be two dialogues on craft to delve into the artistic process of immersive artists. One will focus on Dark Rooms, a former LAB project that hasn’t been finished yet. Dark Rooms focuses on sexual exploration and intimacy through VR, which is already one of the most intimate forms of media. In VR, you can get incredibly close to people, but what are the boundaries? The team is working through these questions, guided by an intimacy coach alongside the director and producer. We’ll get a peek into these conversations as they set up an episode, exploring not only how to create a scene in VR, but how to handle intimate scenes while considering the diverse attitudes towards sexuality and needs of participants and viewers. It’s a fascinating deep dive into crafting intimacy in a virtual space.

Another dialogue will be with Violeta Ayala, who will share her journey from filmmaker to CPH:LAB participant, where she started working with new technologies. Over time, and through her experience at MIT, she grew more confident using AI and robotics, which has completely changed her approach to filmmaking. Her story is truly inspiring (a/n read our interview with Violeta Ayala about her first work, Prison X, which was presented at Sundance in 2021)

The evolution of art and technology is an ongoing conversation that has persisted for over a decade. The pace of change continues to accelerate, but artists remain at the forefront, raising critical questions.

That’s the essence of what we strive to achieve at CPH:LAB and in the Inter:Active exhibition: a space where artists challenge conventions and help us reimagine the future. My role as a curator is simply to weave the themes together and create a cohesive narrative, but ultimately, the works presented originate from the artists’ visions and show us that different perspectives are possible.