Birgit Wudtke, born in Hamburg in 1973, has joined the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar without any overarching concept in mind for her teaching. »I don't have any rigid notions about what teaching in the field of photography should look like« says Birgit Wudtke, describing her start at the faculty. »I certainly won't focus solely on the Bauhaus and its history, although there have been very interesting and pioneering photography experiments there. I would much prefer to develop something new in collaboration with the students, something that possibly ties in with my research on post-digital fine art photography, both intellectually and practically (see PhotoArtBLOG www.postdigitale-fotokunst.de). In my approach, it is particularly important to me that the concept is appropriate to the students who I’m dealing with. So a direct link with the students is important.«

In this context, she strongly encourages experimentation as a means of trialling ideas and gaining experience, especially when it comes to study. »I would like to move away from photography as a form of documentation towards more experimental approaches. This includes, for example, working in a more interdisciplinary manner, mixing techniques. It is still possible to work with analogue techniques and equipment, i.e. pinhole camera, photogram, cyanotype etc. Digital photography has advanced so far that it is now almost impossible to take a ›faulty‹ photo. Yet it is precisely from supposedly flawed results that interesting aspects develop, which can lead to an artistic language of their own.«

Birgit Wudtke is impressed by the photo workshop equipment: »It’s really great to have such a professionally organised and well-equipped workshop to support my field. The fact that the staff in the workshop respond so individually to students and that the students have so many different opportunities for experimentation allows for a special and perhaps unique teaching environment at this university.«

And this experimentation is particularly important, especially in times of digitalisation, in which the genre of photography is undergoing massive changes in a way probably never witnessed before. »Nowadays there are works in which, for example, it is no longer recognisable whether the supposed photo was actually created using photographic means, such as a camera. The fundamental concept of photography – to record the traces – can also be realised in a completely different way today. Things can be felt without being seen, for example. They can also be conveyed differently, for example in an installation. The boundaries are blurring and are currently being probed increasingly frequently.«

The students can benefit from Birgit Wudtke’s many years of very diverse practical experience. »I started my career in the days of analogue photography, very classically shooting for magazines. Then came the era of Photoshop; I started with version 1 and moved towards post-production. I worked across various disciplines, in the fashion industry, in advertising as well as in editorial. In this context, I always worked in different scenarios. In post-production – digital editing of images – you deal intensively with the visual language of another photographer and stylistically optimise their work. In advertising, images are sometimes spliced together in collages as required. I am able to draw on a wide range of experience in this area. The working world in the field of photography is now so complex that there is no longer a specific job description.«

Birgit Wudtke’s expertise also extends to theory. She completed her doctorate at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK) in 2015 with her dissertation »Fine Art Photography in the Age of Digitalisation. Artistic Strategies in the Digital and Post-digital Phase« – which was published by transcript Verlag – and thus successfully graduated with the Doctor philophiae in artibus (Doctor of Philosophy in the Arts), or Dr. phil. in art. for short.

»I’m particularly looking forward to finally being able to teach in-person. I have the impression that, in online teaching, there is a tendency towards monologue. Direct feedback from the other person is missing. That’s why I’m excitedly anticipating the winter semester. There are too many exciting things happening in contemporary photography – no time for depression!«