Workshop led by Anne Huffschmid, project lead for exploratory ethnography and methodological experimentation „Institutional Landscapes“, Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie LAI

The lab is designed to introduce us to expanded ways of conceiving and conducting qualitative research into social, political and cultural phenomena, particularly (but not exclusively) in areas that are complex and restricted in terms of access. The starting point is the research experience of Anne Hufschmid, who – following her project ‘Forensic Landscapes’, an extensive exploration of civil agencies (forensic experts, family members, activists) in the face of missing persons – in her current research, ‘Institutional Landscapes’, explores the role of the state in this field, specifically, the search commissions in Mexico and Colombia. Methodologically, the project continues to explore the incorporation of the audiovisual, sensory and affective dimensions into fieldwork, as well as the development of new narrative formats that transcend the linearity and monomodality of academic writing. Within the lab, the aim is, on the one hand, to work with experiences and materials (a selection of visual and audio recordings) from the aforementioned research process and, on the other, to draw on the experiences of invited researcher-creators (see below) as well as materials provided by the participants. 

Thursday, 9 July 2026, 12:00–17:00 (including a lunch break)

Session 1:

From forensic landscapes to institutional landscapes – on how to record, feel, interpret and narrate ‘landscapes altered’ by the disappearance of people (AH).

Presentation of the project’s design, premises and research dynamics, as well as a sensory activation exercise.

Session 2: Contributions from two guest researcher-creators:

Carlos Hurtado Muñera (Hochschule Darmstadt, Department of Expanded Media, multimedia installation from his Master’s thesis 'La calidad spectral de la violencia’).

Friday, 10 July 2026, 10:00–13:00 (including a coffee break)

Session 3:

Space to work with participants’ experiences and contributions. To help plan this session, those interested are asked to send a few lines in advance outlining their interests and, if available, any material they would like to work with.

Please send this email to: anne.hufschmid@fu-berlin.de