2026 Berlin Program & Speakers
Thursday, May 28, 2026
WISE x HOUSE OF NORDIC VISIONS
VENUE: Felleshus, Nordic Embassies,
Program:
9:30
Registration & Morning Reception
Enjoy fresh croissants and coffee with us on the sunny terrace - and connect with speakers, partners, and members of the WISE community.
10:45
Opening Words by Nordic Embassies & Philipp Grefer
11:00-12:00
1. A Blank Space: Rethinking (Cultural) Institutions
Imagine the last 2,000 years didn’t happen and we were to found a completely new cultural “space.” One in which different forms of cultural production (music, film, art, architecture, fashion, games, literature etc.) meet new ways of learning, technological possibilities, ethical thinking, and financial models.
A plural, sustainable ecosystem, free of historical ballast and oriented toward meaning, innovation, and positive future imaginaries.
What would this space look like?
We welcome ideas from the WISE community — on and off the stage.
Carson Chan
Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, Architecture & Design Museum, FI
Beatrice Leanza
Cultural Strategist / Museum Director / Curator Author: The New Design Museum, IT
Prof. Dr. Hans Uszkoreit
Scientific Director at DFKI (German Research Center for AI), DE
Philipp Grefer
Founder of WISE, DE
12:00-13:00
2. Building intersectional Cultural Ecosystems & Institutions for the Future
Future-facing cultural ecosystems require new forms of collaboration across public, private, and civic actors. This panel examines best practices in building intersectional institutions and clusters that integrate diverse disciplines, and leaders from art, music, science, policy, to communities, and funding models.
Alexander Refsum Jensenius
Director of MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity
Professor of Music Technology at the University of Oslo,
Director of RITMO, Head of the fourMs Lab
Jesper Mardahl
MD Promus, Chief Secretary Music City, Aarhus, DK
Simon Kimmel
Project Lead Innovation Centers, Urban Tech Republic (BerlinTXL), DE
Martin Eyerer
CEO Green City Development GmbH & DJ, DE
Roland Sillmann
CEO of WISTA Management GmbH (Adlershof Technology Park), DE
more tba
5
14:00-15:00
3. Culture as Medicine: Can Live Events & Art Improve Public Health?
We explore the growing scientific recognition of the arts as a vital component of public health. From mental wellbeing and social cohesion to preventative care, cultural (live) experiences are increasingly understood not as luxury, but as necessity. In the Nordics, UK Canada, Art on prescription is already a reality.
Thus culture has enormous impact on our economy far beyond the already known positive effects on tourism, employment and joy of life.
If culture improves health outcomes, reduces costs, and strengthens social cohesion—should it be funded not only as culture, but as healthcare infrastructure?
Anita Jensen (online)
Associate Professor, Lund University, SE
Saskia Wheeler
MA, MSC Psychology of the Arts, Neuroaesthetics & Creativity, DE / UK
Steve Rimmer
Founder & CEO, Tickets For Good, UK
Arndt Scheffler
Managing Director Germany, AXS, DE
Yousef Hammoudah
Global Vice President Brand Development & Community, DE / SE
15:00 - 15:55
4. Cultural Capital – New Approaches to Funding
Culture needs new money and new models. This panel looks at how artists, cultural events and institutions are navigating beyond traditional funding: from brands and platforms to communities and new financial infrastructures.
Lindi Delight
Coach / Curator, DE / CA
Gregor Quack
Volkswagen Group Curator, Neue Nationalgalerie, DE
Christoph Rohde
Head of Transactions at FASE, Impact Investing, DE
Axel Wieder
Director Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, DE
Ralf Lülsdorf
Telekom Electronic Beats, DE
15:55 - 17:00
5. How AI is reshaping Creative Work: Stories from the Trenches
As AI tools rapidly integrate into creative workflows, the nature of authorship, labor, and value creation is shifting. This panel focuses on practical insights from creators working at the intersection of music, art, film and technology today. Do´s & Don´ts. What do clients want? What can and cannot be done? And how could these new tools be beneficial for moving culture forward?
15:55 - 16:05 - Prelude
How AI is reshaping Creative Work: A Legal Perspective
Katarina Renman Claesson (online)
Association lawyer for the Swedish Artists' Association, SE
16:05 - 17:00
Alexander Freund
Songwriter & Producer, VERSO Boardmember, DE
Matthias Storz
Co-Founder Storz & Escherich, DE
Alena Mayer
Co-Founder, Caldo Worldwide, DE
Annika von Taube
Strategist, Publicist and Art and Tech specialist, DE / SE
16:30-19:00
1. Reception
Tickets For Good Germany Launch
WISE Delegates and Invite Only
2. Reception
WISE x /VERSO - Nordic Writing Camp Reception & SYNC DRINKS
(with kind support of GEMA Foundation, Song E.V.)
Free Drinks & Fun Conversations on the Sunny Terrace.
Drink Partner: Secco Soziale
