equalACT
Artistic Research – make it feminist!
equalACT is a collaborative project between the HfS Ernst Busch and the Berlin University of the Arts that supports women and tin* people who explore the themes of gender, diversity, and anti-discrimination through artistic research.
equalACT consists of eight sessions and six labs, which will take place in Berlin over a period of just under two years. The goal of the project is to create cross-institutional structures, raise the visibility of and connect key players, generate interdisciplinary synergies, and initiate innovative, collaborative artistic research projects. We aim to connect the expertise and initiatives of the HfS and the UdK Berlin and create collective, creative labs.
A joint project of the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Berlin University of the Arts, funded by the Berlin Equal Opportunity Program.
SESSIONS
Discussion and workshop format: interdisciplinary & open
Selected speakers will provide insights on topics such as body politics, queer futures, care work, archival work, artistic research, and hybrid doctoral formats (t.b.c.). They will create a space for exchange and the development of shared ideas and concepts. Participation in the sessions is open to all interested students, faculty, researchers, and artists.
The sessions will take place at the bat Studiotheater (Belforter Str. 15, 10405 Berlin) at the HfS Ernst Busch. Please register at equalact@hfs-berlin.de.
LABS
Practice-Oriented Co-Teaching Format
The Labs are practice-oriented laboratories where women and TIN* people from the teaching and research communities at HfS and UdK (academic staff, adjunct instructors, professors) work together with their students. They take place independently of the sessions but are intended to tie in thematically with them. Faculty members from both universities form teams, coordinate their seminars, and develop joint interdisciplinary projects with their students. These projects are integrated into existing courses, thereby avoiding any additional workload and instead fostering a targeted expansion and networking of existing teaching. Funding is available to implement the projects in the Labs. The results of the Labs will be documented and presented at a concluding symposium.
UdK students can receive ECTS credit for participating in an equalACT-LABS course.
SAVE THE SESSION-DATE!
Setptember 9, 2026 / Session 1
10-17 Uhr, HfS 1.51
Artistic Research – Approaches, Examples, and a Project Colloquium
with GESA MARTEN
September 29, 2026 / Session 2
Research Ecologies 2026– Project Insights / Colloquium as a Curated Ecology of Togetherness
in collaboration with the Berlin Centre for Advanced Studies in Arts and Sciences (BAS)
October 28, 2026 / Session 3
December 3, 2026 / Session 4
January 20, 2027 / Session 5
March 3, 2027 / Session 6
April 14, 2027 / Session 7
June 9, 2027 / Session 8
End of 2027 (TBA) / Symposium
The topics and speakers/workshop leaders will be announced soon. Registration via equalact@hfs-berlin.de.
Project Team
Susanne Foidl (none/she)
Women’s and Equal Opportunity Officer
Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Berlin
s.foidl@hfs-berlin.de
Vanessa Wozny (she/her)
Women’s and Equal Opportunity Officer
Berlin University of the Arts
frauenbeauftragte@udk-berlin.de
Lorena Boße (she/they)
equalACT Coordination & Communication
Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts Berlin
l.bosse@hfs-berlin.de
Lioba Wachtel (she/her)
SHK / Berlin University of the Arts
Alina Sophia Taghavinia (she/her)
SHK / Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts Berlin
Project Advisory Board
Charlotte Freundel (Prof*Me), Dr. Jenny Fuhr (Coordinator, Berlin Centre for Advanced Studies in Arts and Sciences – BAS), Dr. Anna Luise Kiss (President, HfS), Anne Renner (MA Strategy and Project Development, UdK)