TE:AR : Closing the Loop
When
Where
In the 1960s, Andy Warhol blurred the lines between art and technology and Factory became the go-to place for creative minds from all walks of life. In the spirit of Warhol’s Factory, Factory Network invites innovators, creatives, visionaries and all those in between to explore a new paradigm where technology and art collide.
How do we move beyond the conventional mindset that treats technologists, artists, and entrepreneurs as mutually exclusive categories? If we embrace the overlaps and synergies between, what new forms, textures, shapes, and sounds might emerge from the cross-pollination of our work? How might these emerging creations reconfigure our understanding of reality and catalyze new dimensions of self-expression and problem-solving? What does circularity mean in this context, and how can it be reimagined in an anti-disciplinary, communal setting?
Inspired and moulded by these very questions, Closing The Loop will feature an exhibition curated for the occasion around the work of our Artist in Residence, Tim Maiwald. Following the exhibition, we'll circle around for a discussion exploring the intersection between circular visions of the creative process and our mutual future, while critically examining the tendency to confine ideas and individuals to rigid categories.
An essential to seal the night, live tunes will accompany us throughout the evening.
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18:00 - 19:00Doors Open
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19:00 - 20:00Panel talk: Closing the Loop
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20:00 - 22:00Live DJ Set & Drinks
Elisa Naranjo, half German, half Ecuadorian, has dedicated her career to building an economy that shows there is another way. An economy that puts people at the center and loves the planet. An economy that climate scientists and activists would build. Professionally, she has made it her mission to put the theory of a better and fairer economy into practice – with all the challenges in our current system.
She is co-founder of zweihorn ENERGY and wants to take balcony power plants out of their niche with it.
Balcony power plants make the energy transition accessible to everyone. The technology is available and ingenious. 60 million people in Germany have access to a balcony. They pay off financially and for the climate anyway. Nevertheless, they are (still) a niche product. That’s why she founded the company together with two others members.
Elisa previously worked at einhorn products for over 8 years, where she built up the sustainability department. She restructured supply chains and made them ecological and fair.
She is also co-founder of the Unlearn Business Lab. An experimental laboratory for new ways of doing business.
Evolena de Wilde d’Estmael is a social and climate activist turned impact entrepreneur. She is the co-founder & CEO of Faircado, a greentech startup making circular economy a reality and turning e-commerce into recommerce with AI. She also co-founded Solidartsy, a non-profit aiming to empower women artists and bridge the gender-pay gap in the world of art.
She was recognized as a Top 100 Women in Social Enterprises in 2022, a Digital Female Leader in E-commerce, and the winner of 1 million euro at the prestigious startup competition Slush100 in 2023. Born in Brussels and based in Berlin, Evolena is a proud EU climate Pact Ambassador whose advocacy reflects her commitment to a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Tim Maiwald’s path with Upframe is a story of turning a side project into his main mission. While at the branding agency Superunion, Maiwald began Upframe as a side hustle, which got a major boost from Telefonica/o2. They provided over 200 displays for recycling, recognizing his commitment to tackling e-waste.
Maiwald’s efforts with Upframe 1 were acknowledged with a D&AD Award for creative excellence in 2022, signifying his contribution to creative and sustainable design.
This success inspired Maiwald to focus full-time on this passion, leading to the foundation of SM(T)S – So Much (Trash) Studio and the launch of Upframe 2.
Mid 2023 Maiwald teamed up with digital artist Christoph Gromer to showcase an immersive exhibition at Lynk&Co Club Berlin during Berlin Art Week. The exhibition, directed by Maiwald, captivated audiences who gave enthusiastic feedback for its engaging presentation.
Tim Maiwald’s primary goal extends beyond design; it’s to raise awareness about e-waste and its impacts, driving a message of sustainability and responsible consumption in the design world.
Raphael Fellmer is an entrepreneur, climate activist, author and co-founder of the Berlin-based impact startup SIRPLUS, which rescues surplus food along the value chain and brings it back into circulation via an online store across Germany. Together with 130,000 customers, the Berlin-based startup has already saved over 5 million kilograms of food and provided over 500,000 school meals with Welthungerhilfe in Burundi.
His goal with SIRPLUS is to bring food rescue into the mainstream of society and create a greater appreciation for food in society, business and politics. In 2009, he started as a dumpster diver and lived in a “money strike” for 5 years to raise awareness about waste and how everyone can live more sustainably and easily reduce their ecological footprint. Then he made a journey without money from Holland to Europe, Africa, the Atlantic to Brazil and up to Texas without money to raise more awareness about waste”. He is co-founder of foodsharing, the largest European volunteer movement of more than 400,000 users who have already saved over 170 million kilograms of surplus food in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The father of two, who lives in Berlin, is the author of “Glücklich ohne Geld!”, a keynote speaker and is known for his commitment and media presence against waste and for a sustainable world in which everyone can pursue their dreams and fulfill their potential. With over 1000 media appearances, including on Markus Lanz and SternTV, he has become the face of food rescue in German-speaking countries.