Looking into the playful and poetic possibilities of AI, Michael Salu and Subtext co-founder James Ginzburg present a literary anthology of 15 short stories with a companion album, that reimagine Italo Calvino’s ideas of language evolution, mythology, and speculative futures in the context of modern AI and creativity. Two panel discussions presented by the Wilding AI Lab will explore how anarchic features of large-scale generative AI can shape creativity. In conversation with Clara Herrmann, Beth Coleman, Romi Morrison, and Maurice Jones examine the trend of AI development turning to opaque »black box« systems where universal solutions prioritise statistical norms in visual, linguistic, and sonic outputs—and dig into the ideas behind the Wilding AI Lab which resist normative middle grounds in envisioning technologies that can be wilder. Artists Daniela Huerta, Sahar Homami, and Pía Baltazar will speak with William Russell on how these experimental practices translate into immersive spatial audio works and environments like 4DSOUND, offering a glimpse into the transformative potential of AI in multisensory art. Dadabots will also be giving a special presentation, hacking into the process and practice behind their keystrokes. In a world of easy fast food AI music apps, trve kvlt music hackers take on the arduous path of building, training, and breaking their own neural nets. If this is you, their workshop/ talk will start your journey, highlighting a decade of underground experimentation with neural synthesis.

Resonating within the theme of Resynthesising the Traditional, several talk sessions will also feature artists exploring how traditional practices can intersect with contemporary sounds to create new expressions of heritage. In conversation with Ján Solčáni, Adela Mede, Marta Forsberg, and Nindya Nareswari will speak about their SHAPE+ supported residency and performance at the festival. Their collaboration dives into how voice, sound, and light can transform traditional elements into immersive artistic experiences, addressing questions about cultural heritage’s relevance in an era of political polarization, and the possibilities for updating tradition without losing its essence. In conversation with Sailesh, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist ganavya will detail the layered interplay of tradition and experimentation that defines her work, shaped by Tamil Nadu’s classical arts and her diasporic experience, and exploring how improvisation, language, and community act as conduits for universal connection to transcend the divisions between audience and geography. Opening the Resynthesising the Traditional artistic lab’s finale performance on CTM’s closing day, the artist and researcher meLê yamomo will present a lecture-performance style conversation with Sri Margana, and Amabilita Celessya Shafaswara, created with the artistic and production support of Jay Yamomo, Rafaga Svara, and Yiping Tian. Titled »Tumrap susilaning gěndhing winor laguning lělagon [redux]« the conversation engages historical sound documents and recordings from Southeast Asia »on exile« in archives in Berlin and Amsterdam in a conversation, and asks the sound archives to speak back.

Related to our theme of Affection, multidisciplinary artist softchaos will give a lecture and reading exploring a fundamental question of who is permitted to be experimental, as part of her investigation into the aesthetics of the Black radical tradition. Sound studies scholar Gascia Ouzounian will speak with Yara Mekawei about her CTM Radio Lab commissioned work »Sonic Forces,« which explores the interconnections between personal and political struggles through sound, offering an auditory journey through Egypt’s border regions with Palestine, Libya, and Sudan—sites of conflict, refuge, and resilience.