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From Sussex to Berlin: Exploring the Science and Art of Stroboscopic Light
By: Aleks Kossowska
Last updated: Wednesday, 6 May 2026
The Berlin Symposium on Stroboscopic Light 2026 - BSSL 2026 at Freie Universität Berlin
The Berlin Symposium on Stroboscopic Light 2026 was co-organised by Dr David Schwartzman from the University of Sussex and Dr Timo Torsten Schmidt from Freie Universität Berlin, bringing together an international community of researchers, clinicians, artists, technologists, and industry partners to explore the rapidly developing field of stroboscopic light stimulation. Building on the success of the first Symposium on Stroboscopic Light at the University of Sussex in 2024, the second symposium was hosted at Freie Universität Berlin from 19–20th March 2026, with linked art and public engagement events continuing across the wider programme. The meeting was designed as a small, discussion-focused gathering, creating space for sustained exchange across neuroscience, psychology, clinical research, mathematical modelling, philosophy of mind, technology development, and the arts.
BSSL 2026 highlighted how rhythmic light can be used to investigate perception, brain dynamics, altered states of consciousness, and possible clinical applications, while also recognising the important role of artists and designers in revealing new forms of perceptual experience. The scientific programme included sessions on clinical applications, mechanisms of entrainment, psychophysics, cognition, mathematical modelling, safety, and emerging technologies, alongside an art programme featuring immersive installations that explore how light, sound, rhythm, and space can transform experience. Together, the symposium aimed to catalyse new collaborations between science, art, and industry, and to support a growing international network working at the frontier of stroboscopic light research and practice.