Dr. Kathrin Janowski
/ˈkatrin jaˈnɔvski/
she/her
I'm researching how
humans communicate
with computers.
Kaleidechse
/kaˈlaɪ̯dɛksɛ/
she/her
I give form to
creatures and
characters.
I am a computer scientist and an artist.
Since earliest childhood, I was fascinated by the idea of bringing fantasy creatures to life. I went into computer science to learn what makes robots and video game characters tick. What makes us fall in love with them.
At the same time, I'm looking at this question from an artist's perspective. I love building fictional worlds and designing alien creatures. I paint them, I model them in 3D, I sew plushies.
I tend to accidentally create new characters that take on a life of their own. This includes the two mascots that accompany me on this path.
On the programmer side, this is my virtual pet Reeya. When I developed her in 9th grade, this dog-pony-mouse being was just a placeholder - but at some point, she became so familiar to me that she kept that role.
On the creative side, it's the Stranger. At the beginning of my Master's studies, he emerged from a test with the 3D software Blender. He quickly let me know that he wanted to remain part of my life. Since then, this weird creature has been assisting me with various artistic experiments.