transmediale.05 questions the BASICS of our contemporary culture in the areas of biotechnology, politics and media art amongst others. Will our existence become newly defined in gene-technology laboratories, and how can one acquire this biotechnical knowledge? Security technology is deployed at the expense of individual freedom - how much ‘BASIC Security’ do we need? As well, our perception of what constitutes our basic political, media-related and aesthetic needs must continually be redefined. Necessities, demands and possibilities change, whether in the production of art, in the education of media producers, or in our understanding of interactivity. The conference programme discusses current and historical art and cultural projects - a springboard for an approach to the Next-Level-BASICS.