The workshop aims to challenge a technology-driven understanding of immersion and instead treat it as a condition shaped by sensory, spatial, narrative, performative, participatory, and affective aspects. Central questions will include how immersive projects relate to and coexist with other art forms, such as film, photography, sculpture, or installation, and how curators can shift from media-led programming to content-driven exhibition-making.
During the workshop, participants will address both conceptual and practical challenges specific to immersive contexts: how curatorial roles evolve, which collaborations and expertise become essential when working with immersive media, how to manage technical dependencies, how to shape audience flows, and how to design mediation strategies that support inclusive and meaningful audience experiences.
Participants are asked to bring one example of a project they consider immersive, which will serve as a case study. The first day will focus on introducing the programme and the participants, followed by a keynote speaker and Q&A. The second day will combine case-study presentations with collective mapping exercises. In the third session, participants will be working on curatorial strategies and guiding principles.
The final output will be a collective manifesto articulating positions on immersion and its curation, and a set of open questions for future research.
Program Structure:
Monday, January 19 | Day 1
- Arrival and settling (15 mins)
- Welcome, introduction to the program (20 mins)
- Introduction round of participants (20 mins)
- Light meal, refreshments & mingling (30 mins)
- Keynote presentation + Q&A (60 mins) - Keynote speaker: Sophia Al Maria
- Closing remarks - reminder of tomorrow’s activities (10 mins)
Tuesday, January 20 | Day 2
- Arrival and settling (15 mins)
- Short introduction to the session (10 mins)
- Participant case study presentations (90 mins)
- Light meal, refreshments & mingling (30 mins)
- Collective mapping: what is immersion? (60mins)
- Closing remarks - reminder of tomorrow’s activities (10 mins)
Wednesday, January 21 – Day 3
- Arrival and settling (15 mins)
- Open discussion: curatorial challenges (30 mins)
- Fictional exhibition exercise (30 mins)
- Light meal, refreshments & mingling (30 mins)
- Manifesto writing (30 mins)
- Closing reflection (40 mins)
Cristina Ampatzidou is a Rotterdam-based curator and researcher working across architecture, urbanism and digital media. Her focus is on the affordances of new media and digital technologies as critical instruments in architectural discourse, particularly in the context of sustainability transitions and transformational urban futures. Alternating between research and practice, she curates various programs, including film, exhibitions, lectures and debates, and engages in cultural production more broadly. She is currently a design researcher for the Transition Scapes project at the Civic Interaction Design Research group at the University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam and Head of Programming for the Architecture Film Festival of Rotterdam.
Applications for the workshop must be submitted