In the Special of this October/November issue of mdw Magazine, we devote ourselves to the now-omnipresent topic of artificial intelligence and introduce research projects at the mdw that deal with AI in a variety of ways. This is joined by a look at problems that may arise in musical, educational, and cultural life along with how all this may end up impacting creative artists.
The present issue also looks back at some highlights among the past summer semester’s mdw events—first and foremost among them the transdisciplinary festival KlangBildKlang, which played out all over Vienna during May and June. The Long Night of Research, on the other hand, saw the mdw invite the public to explore its main campus until late at night for an up close and personal experience of current research. And as a member of the European Universities Alliance IN.TUNE, the mdw has been in close exchange with European partner institutions for nearly a year, now—reason enough to present an initial review and a look forward to the next steps!
The Herta & Kurt Blaukopf Award for outstanding dissertations at the mdw, which seeks to raise the visibility of special achievements in the University’s academic doctoral programme and support early stage researchers in their further academic careers, was conferred this year for the third time. We introduce the 2024 winners and provide an overview of their intriguing dissertation projects in the fields of musicology, music education research, and film and media studies.
Last but not least, we report on the exceedingly successful collaboration between Film Academy Vienna faculty members and students and the renowned US film director Wes Anderson on The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, an Academy Award-winning short film whose impressive special effects have left audiences spellbound.
I wish all of you an interesting read with mdw Magazine and a great start to the new semester!
