Sebastian DÖRING

Sebastian Döring is a research and development specialist at the C²DH. He carries out the research activities within the framework of the project Maison du Son under the supervision of Andreas Fickers.

Sebastian has been developing concepts and guidelines to ensure functional preservation of technical objects in university collections since 2009. One key aspect of his work is the enquiry of time critical processes in oscillating and feedback or algorithmic controlled devices in order to understand the principles of time based media. Currently he is working out and updating Friedrich Kittler’s ‘information-theoretical materialism’. Sebastian has been contributing to Cultural Techniques and Media archaeological approaches both hands-on and on a theoretical level.

Sebastian’s courses combine hands-on approaches in university collections (technical objects) with concepts from media theory (time based media) and cultural techniques research. Among his recent teachings were courses in GDR medical and computer collections, with objects from engineering education collections, and on information-theoretical materialism state of the art.

Sebastian ist a permanent visiting scientist at Humboldt University Berlin (Department Medienwissenschaft). He is a member of the Society of University Collections in Germany, and a board member of the Friedrich Kittler society. Since 2013, togehter with Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag, he is editor for the circuit notations in the work edition of Friedrich Kittler.

Scholarship at the Museum of Modern Literature 2021; Scholar in Residence at Deutsches Museum München, 2022; Junior Fellow at Research Association Marbach Weimar Wolffenbüttel, 2023; conceptual outline of the successful research grant ‘Sleep—Sore—Stress. Cultures and Techniques of Biofeedback Systems 1960 to 1990: Material Culture Research in the Medical Technology Collection of the OVGU Magdeburg’, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), 2023-2027.

From 2009 to 2012, he was the curator of the Media Archaeological Fundus of Humboldt University Berlin. Beweeen 2012 and 2015, together with media artist Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag, he directed and conducted the conceptual art project apparatus operandi. Between 2015 and 2021, he held different positions and teaching assignments at Humboldt university Berlin, Carl-von-Ossietzky university Oldenburg, University of Art and Design Linz; From 2021 to 2024, he was a research associate at the Kustodie (office for academic heritage and university collections) at Otto-von-Guericke university Magdeburg. Sebastian joined the University of Luxembourg in 2024.

Sebastian studied cultural techniques and media archaeology at Humboldt university Berlin, and is currently finishing his PhD project with Thomas Macho.