About

Clara Blume, Ph.D. works as a European cultural diplomat and artist in Silicon Valley, heading the Open Austria Art + Tech Lab to explore the interplay of human and artificial creativity. Set out as a laboratory for open and interdisciplinary collaboration, Blume curates, commissions, and promotes art projects that redefine what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence. In concert with Austria’s efforts in tech diplomacy, the Art + Tech Lab is working with policy makers from Europe and the US to advocate for a new digital humanism in tech. As President of the EU National Institutes for Culture Cluster in the Bay Area (EUNIC Silicon Valley) in 2019 and 2020, Blume co-founded and is president of art + tech + policy network The Grid (Art Powers Technology), supported with funding by the European Commission and Salesforce. Prior to her new role in cultural diplomacy, she worked as a professional musician, songwriter, and internationally touring recording artist. Blume studied music composition and fine arts at Academia de Bellas Artes, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). She holds a M.A. in comparative literature and a Ph.D. in cultural studies and history from the University of Vienna. Blume is a regular conference speaker and a published author.