Ulrik Ekman

Current research

Ulrik Ekman is Associate Professor of design and architecture at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen.

Professor Ekman’s current research in the environmental humanities is concerned with the complex planetary problems of sustainability and resilience in the Anthropocene. Ekman is at work in the blueand green humanities on adaptive transition theories addressing how to design and plan resilient coastal zones, cities, infrastructures, architectures, and homes. Ekman is researching both the city - ecological environment problematic and that of the resilience potentials of urban designs and plans for life forms, human and not least more-than-human such.

Ekman's other main research interests are in the fields of smart cities, ubiquitous computing, AI, encounters between eco-art and new media art, critical design and aesthetics, as well as recent cultural theory.

Currently, Ekman is co-editing with Daniel Irrgang Environmental Humanities Glossary: Emergent Key Terms, which includes 150 contributions from artists and researchers across the world. See https://artsandculturalstudies.ku.dk/research/art-and-earth/environmental-humanities-glossary/

Fields of interest

Sustainability, resilience, transition theory, green and blue humanities, waters, waste, environmentalism, ecological thinking, immanent critique of contemporary consumer societies and urban life forms.

Design, planning, cities, infrastructures, architectures in the expanded field. Smart cities, ubiquitous computing, artificial intelligence, network societies, digital humanities. 

Eco-art and media-art encounters, media aesthetics, cultural theory, performativity and interactivity, approaches to affect, emotion, and passion, sensation and sense, embodiment and posthumanity, life world and technology, rethinking of nature/culture distinctions and materialities.

Teaching

I teach in several fields: modern and contemporary design, urban planning, architecture as well as cultural theory and visual culture. I also teach topics in digital theory and practice, digital aesthetics and communication, new media- and installation art.

Typical course themes: Resilience and contemporary eco-art; Design and everyday culture; Design and architecture 1800-1960; Cultural theory and visual cultures; Art history today: historicity, materiality, medialization; The modern and the late modern city; Smart cities; Rubbish culture and sustainability; Media aesthetics; The theory and practice of digital visual culture.

Knowledge of languages

Primary fields of research

Blue and green transitions in the Anthropocene. Sustainability and resilience. Resilient design and planning of water relations, coastal zones, cities, infrastructures, architectures, homes and everyday water cultures.

Eco criticism, environmental aesthetics, eco-art.

Design theory, design culture, design analysis, digital design.

CV

Co-leader of the Art & Earth research cluster, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen. 2021-2023.

Head of Studies, Art History and Visual Culture, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen. 2013.

Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, Art History, University of Copenhagen. 2010.

Assistant Professor, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, Comparative Literature and Modern Culture, University of Copenhagen. 2003.

Ph.D., The Literature Program, Duke University, USA. 2000.

Possible conflicts of interest

Research funding applications, reviewer, expert panels:

EU Horizon 2020

EU, Marie Curie IF SOC 2018

The Research Council of Norway, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 SAMKUL research program

Academy of Finland, Art Research program, 2017, 2019, 2021