Max-Planck-Institut für empirische Ästhetik

Thinking Design x Kim Albrecht

Knowledge design. Design in the information age

Data structures are increasingly shaping our everyday lives: from the continuous generation of digital traces by personal devices to climate models and public health statistics that influence political and social decisions. The lecture examines the role of design in the presentation of data and information in order to make it perceptible, interpretable, and discussable. It focuses on how design translates numbers, data sets, statistics, and complex scientific contexts into visual and experiential forms—and how these translations shape understanding, interpretation, and the ability to act. Using examples from the fields of data visualization, information design, and artistic research, the lecture discusses visualization not only as a means of communication, but also as a form of knowledge production.

The lecture will be held in English.

Kim Albrecht, born on an island in the North Sea, is a professor of information design at the Folkwang University of the Arts. He holds a BA in graphic design, an MA in interface design, and a doctorate in media theory from the University of Potsdam. During his career, he has worked as a researcher at the Center for Complex Network Research under Prof. Laszlo Barabasi and at metaLAB (at) Harvard under Jeffrey Schnapp, where he served as director. He is also a faculty member at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Albrecht's work combines teaching, research, and practice, offering new perspectives on how data shapes and reflects contemporary culture.

The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics investigates why and how people create art and how they perform, experience, and evaluate it. The Institute’s focus is on music, but we also engage with other performing arts such as dance and film.