beyond tellerrand 27–28 Apr 2026 Düsseldorf • Germany

Tuesday, 28th

09:00

Doors Open // Registration
10:00

Why You Should Do It Anyway!

André Michelle built one of the first DAWs (Music Studio) on the internet. What began as a dream project turned into a 16-year-long lesson about persistence and ongoing failures. He now shares his story of building openDAW, a fresh and modern attempt to democratise music production without compromise.

André talks about why openness matters, why saying no is a feature, and why good ideas eventually find their place if you keep going. “If everybody owns it, nobody can steal it” has become a guiding principle for every decision.

openDAW removes barriers like sign-ups, cookie banners, and vendor locks, putting all data management in the hands of the user with no forced cloud or tracking. By working closely with music teachers and musicians, openDAW not only becomes more robust but also lays the foundation for others to extend it. With the openDAW SDK, developers can create their own music production applications.

Photo taken by
André Michelle
10:45

30-Minute Refreshment Break
11:15

The Act of Pressing a Key: The Journey of a Letterform on to Your Screen

We live in a world where we encounter letterforms every day. We type on our phones, read books, glance at advertisements on the train, follow signage to reach our destinations. Letterforms don’t just carry information – they are a means of expression, shaped by history, culture, and context.

These forms have evolved over centuries, across regions and writing systems. One such script is Devanagari, used to write languages like Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, and Sanskrit, and read by hundreds of millions of people.

Join Kimya on the journey of a letterform – from its conception as a drawn shape to its behaviour as digital text on your screen. Drawing from my own experience designing Devanagari typefaces, she’ll reflect on what it means to work with a script that carries cultural memory while constantly being reshaped by new tools and contexts. What does it mean to design for a script you grew up with? And how can type design become a way of re-seeing and re-claiming what feels familiar?

Photo taken by
Kimya Gandhi
12:00

30-Minute Refreshment Break
12:30

Supercharge Web UX with View Transitions

Are you tired of disjointed web apps? View Transitions are the game-changer you’ve been waiting for. Whether your app is single or multi-page, this powerful API lets you create seamless, native-like experiences that captivate users.

Join Bramus Van Damme when he dives into the world of View Transitions, showing you how to replace jarring page loads with elegant transitions. Learn to harness the flexibility of CSS and the power of JavaScript to customise transitions and create a truly unique experience.

If you’re ready to take your web apps to the next level, this talk is a must-attend.

Photo taken by
Bramus Van Damme
13:15

Lunch Break


Lunch-Break Session: From Taiwan to Germany’s Digital Ministry: Building Government with Citizens

Leon Erichsen invites you to his session about running a ministerial hackathon, inspired by Taiwan’s digital participation model, where citizens help shape and solve real governance challenges. The talk shares early learnings and invites technologists, designers, and entrepreneurs to collaborate with government on these problems.

~30 minutes, starting ~13:35 – full description and speaker bio
15:15

Looking Back to Move Forward

James White is a Canadian digital artist and Art Director at ModRetro, known for his bold, retro-inspired work through Signalnoise Studio. In this talk, he traces his creative journey from childhood drawings on typewriter paper to a career shaped by decades of personal work and exploration.

Through a chronological look at his own artistic archive, James highlights the key moments—both big and small—that guided his path, often only becoming clear in hindsight. He shares how early influences, side projects, and persistent curiosity ultimately shaped his creative identity.

“Looking Back to Move Forward” explores how creativity is cumulative, why personal work matters, and how revisiting the past can help reveal a path into the future.

Photo taken by
James White
16:00

30-Minute Refreshment Break
16:30

Living Through an AI Takeover Without Losing Your Soul

As AI reshapes work and creativity, the question that haunts us isn’t what AI can do, but what it’s leaving us to figure out about ourselves.

In this talk, Lauren makes the case that the designers, engineers, and leaders who will stand apart in the age of AI are not the ones who prompt the best, but those who bring taste, intention, community, and genuine humanity to everything they touch.

Through real-world case studies, sharp provocations, and an honest reckoning with how AI is reshaping our industry, economy, and environment, this talk offers a practical framework for reclaiming your creative soul and your strategic value.

Photo taken by
Lauren Celenza
17:15

Closing Ceremony and Good Bye
17:45

End of Show – See you Next Time!

Our wonderful partners

A massive thank you to our amazing partners, who without, beyond tellerrand would simply not be possible. Thank you!