SMIC – Stuttgart Moving Image Center – MSC

SMIC – Stuttgart Moving Image Center

Stuttgart Moving Image Center

The New Media Lab

With the planned House for Film and Media Stuttgart (HFM) – a.k.a. SMIC – Stuttgart Moving Image Center – a new cultural attraction for moving images, media art, technology and society will be created by 2029. In addition to various screening/exhibition rooms, an advanced production infrastructure and publicly accessible meeting places, one central element of the centre will be the New Media Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory designed to promote artistic, technological and social engagement with new media technologies.

Here, artists, researchers and developers will work together to explore new forms of expression in the use of artificial intelligence, immersive media (VR/AR/MR/XR) and innovative forms of production – a place where the future is conceived, designed and communicated.

The first workshop:
exchanging ideas and shared visions

On October 14th 2025, the first participatory workshop on the further development of the SMIC and the New Media Lab took place at the HLRS (High Performance Computing Centre Stuttgart). High-ranking representatives from cultural institutions, media universities and the creative industries came together to discuss the spatial, technical and content-related requirements of the future facility.

During intensive working sessions, topics such as space and technology, media education offerings, institutional cooperation, and social participation were discussed. This led to a lively exchange on how we can create an open, vibrant centre for the city of Stuttgart – a place that combines professional work, creative encounters, and social dialogue.

The MSC as a connecting interface

The Media Solution Center took on the task of organising the workshop, bringing to bear its role as a networker between the worlds of art/culture and science/technology. By bringing together stakeholders from the regional cultural and creative industries, it was possible to activate a diverse network that will have a decisive influence on the future development of the centre.

"The kick-off event showed how much interest there is in jointly creating a place that brings art, technology and society together in new ways," the MSC team sums up.

Next Steps

The workshop marks the beginning of a long-term dialogue process. In the coming years, working groups will be formed and the results further developed with the aim of creating a laboratory by the opening in 2029 that combines the needs and visions of all those involved. In addition, a series of public events will be launched to communicate the thematic focus of the new centre to the municipal community even before its opening and to build anticipation for this new community space.

Cultural professionals from the region are cordially invited to participate in the dialogue. To do so, they can either contact the MSC or the SMIC's administrative office directly.