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Green Arts Initiative

We are part of the GREEN ARTS INITIATIVE.

We are happy to announce that we are amongst the newest members of the Green Arts Initiative (GAI)! With over 300 members across the country, we are proud to be part of the Scottish cultural community’s efforts to actively reduce our environmental impact, and be at the forefront of creating a sustainable future for our sector and beyond.

Run by Creative Carbon Scotland, and supported by a steering group of Green Arts members, the initiative focuses on:

  • Facilitating the exchange of relevant knowledge, ideas, and experiences.
  • Strengthening the sustainability practices of arts organisations nationwide.

You can explore here: the GAI members’ area, and the complete GAI members’ list.
The network is open and free to join.

How can interactive video and real-time data visceralisation help audiences connect with their shared environment, and promote the reduction of urban air pollution?


Read also: how we use interactive video and data visceralisation to help audiences connect with their shared environment, and promote the reduction of urban air pollution, though our work-in-progress ‘This Place Has Its Own Air’.

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Audiences Brain-Computer Interfaces Interactive Media Live Brain-Computer Cinema Methods Participants People Publications Research UX

Celebrating Pioneering Women in Interactive Arts & Neurotechnologies

Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate the pioneering women who have opened new horizons in the fields of interactive arts and neurotechnologies! As a woman- and diverse-led team, we pay tribute to the women that have shaped the landscape of brain-computer interaction and neuroscience in interactive storytelling and the arts, and have inspired our own work.

Nina Sobell and Jaqueline Humbert are early pioneering artists, and amongst the first to design Brain-Computer Interaction applications. Sobell’s Brainwave Drawings (1972) – probably the first work of moving image with the use of a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), and Humbert’s Alpha Garden installation (1973) and Brainwave Etch-a-Sketch drawing game (1974), are seminal works, laying the groundwork for future explorations in the field. Read more…

In more recent years, advancements in neuroscience and technology have enabled artists to create works that express their inner experiences and the feeling of being connected with their audience. Claudia Robles-Angel is an audio-visual and new media artist pushing the boundaries of audience interaction in multimedia performances. Her INsideOUT (2009) audio-visual performance used her own brain-activity to generate images and sound. Read more…

Mariko Mori has used the simultaneous interaction of more than one participant with the use of BCIs in the Wave UFO immersive video installation (2023). While the iconic performance artist Marina Abramovic collaborated with neuroscientist Dr Suzanne Dikker in projects like Measuring the Magic of Mutual Gaze (2011), The Compatibility Racer (2012) and The Mutual Wave Machine (2013), demonstrating the power of multi-brain BCIs in facilitating simultaneous interaction between participants. Read more…

As we celebrate the contributions of these remarkable women, and their dedication to pushing the boundaries of art, science, and technology, let’s continue to honour and amplify the voices of women in interactive media and beyond!

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2023: A Year of Interactive Innovation, Commemoration, and Collaboration

As 2023 comes to a close, we reflect on the milestones, developments, and tributes that have defined our journey at the Interactive Filmmaking Lab. From pioneering new services to honouring the legacy of an admired colleague, this was a year of innovation, commemoration, and collaboration.

New Services Launched:
After more than five years of dedicated research and development, we have launched our new services in impactful interactive production, consultancy, and audience research, designed to meet the needs of businesses, organisations, and professionals. Read more…

DCAC 2023 – Bridging Technology, Art, and Culture:
We unveiled our new project ‘This Place Has Its Own Air’, a data-driven video-installation and proof of concept for urban air quality data visceralisation, at the 5th International Conference on Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges (DCAC 2023). The project uses real-time air quality data, to enable viewers to have a real-time glimpse of the air they breathe and reflect on the need for reducing the pollution of their environment. Read more…

#IFM2023 – Care, Collaboration and Craft:
The #IFM2023 5th Interactive Film and Media Annual Conference explored ‘Care, Collaboration, and Craft’ in the realm of interactive film and media, bringing together contributions and exhibitions from over 50 presenters from 30 universities and labs worldwide. Read more…

Remembering Professor Patricia Zimmermann:
Professor Patricia Zimmermann, Longtime Professor of Screen Studies at Ithaca College and named in 2021 as the Charles A. Dana Professor of Screen Studies in recognition of her significant contributions, was the epitome of the teacher-scholar. For the Interactive Film and Media Journal Board, and us at the Interactive Filmmaking Lab she has long been a source of knowledge, inspiration, and generous support. Read more…

#IFM2024 – Shaping the Future:
The #IFM2024 6th Interactive Film and Media Conference has announced a call (extended deadline: 8 January 2024), focusing on the themes of ‘Communities – Structures – Entanglements’. Academics and practitioners are invited to submit proposals that blend critical analysis with creativity, push the boundaries of conventional thinking, and contribute to the discourse on the evolving landscape of interactive film and media. Read more…

As we write the final chapter of 2023, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our collaborators, our partners and all of you that have supported us during our journey. Here’s to a year well-lived and to the exciting stories that lie ahead!

Warmest Wishes for a Happy New Year!

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Conference Events Interactive Filmmaking Interactive Media Methods News Research

#IFM2024 Call For Proposals

The #IFM2024 Interactive Film and Media Conference 2024 will take place online, from the 12th to the 14th of June 2024, and has announced a Call for Proposals (deadline: 18 December 2023) focused on the themes of ‘Communities – Structures – Entanglements’. These themes present a rich ground for exploration, innovation, and critical examination in the rapidly evolving interactive film and media domain.

Academics (faculty, researchers, and Ph.D. students), and practitioners (filmmakers, artists, VR and game designers, media producers, etc.) are invited to submit proposals that blend critical analysis with creativity, push the boundaries of conventional thinking, and contribute to the burgeoning discourse on communities, structures and entanglements in interactive film and media. While presenters are encouraged to consider this year’s themes, proposals on matters relevant to the IFM community and beyond are welcome.

Possible topics may include but are not limited to:

  • Innovation in current and emerging structural design in interactive storytelling.
  • Empowerment of communities’ agency and participation in interactive narratives.
  • Visualisation techniques for conceptualising narrative structures.
  • The implications of structures and entanglements in shaping interactive experiences.
  • Role of technology, including AI, in amplifying or restricting agency, whether individual or community-oriented.
  • Impact of cultural and sociopolitical contexts on agency and entanglements.
  • Collaboration and co-creation in building innovative platforms.
  • Case studies highlighting the successful implementation of new structural concepts.
  • Ethics and responsibilities in facilitating agency, navigating entanglements, and designing structures.
  • Exploration of how VR and AR technologies create immersive environments that leverage agency, structures, and entanglements for a richer user experience.
  • Community’s role in shaping inclusive structures and agency within interactive narratives.
  • Societal connections and values in interactive entanglements and their influence on content and experience.

Tribute to Patty Zimmermann:
In honour of distinguished professor and friend Patty Zimmermann, the IFM community will celebrate her contributions to strengthening communities, her careful structuring of entanglements, and her commitment to empowering people to speak. Sessions of the conference will be dedicated to our esteemed colleague, relentless scholar, dedicated social advocate, and a pioneering force in cultivating cross-platform and interdisciplinary engagement.

Full Free Admission:
No fee is charged for presentation and attendance at this conference or publication in the journal.

For full details, visit:

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News People

Remembering Professor Patricia Zimmermann

It is with great sadness and shock that we have been informed of the passing, earlier this month, of Patty Zimmermann, Longtime Professor of Screen Studies at Ithaca College.

Professor Zimmermann was the epitome of the teacher-scholar, with numerous honours and distinctions; and named in 2021 as the Charles A. Dana Professor of Screen Studies, in recognition of her significant contributions.

For the Interactive Film and Media Journal Board, and us here at the Interactive Filmmaking Lab, Patty has long been a source of knowledge, inspiration, and generous support. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband Stewart and son Sean.

The announcement in full by the Ithaca College can be found here.

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Conference Events Interactive Filmmaking Interactive Media Methods News Research

‘#IFM2023′

The #IFM2023 5th Interactive Film and Media Annual Conference, is taking place online, from the 7th to the 9th of June 2023. It is dedicated to exploring ‘Care, Collaboration, and Craft’ in the realm of interactive film and media, bringing together contributions and exhibitions from over 50 presenters from 30 universities and labs worldwide.

Academics, practitioners, artists, designers, and producers in the field of interactive film and media are warmly invited to join this stimulating exploration. The conference is designed to harness the transformative power of diverse voices and methodologies, confronting the challenge of polarisation, while fostering diverse voices and inventing innovative, collaborative work practices.

Dr Polina Zioga will chair Panel IV, on Thursday, 8th of June, 18:00-19:30 PM (BST), on The Role of Text and Subtitles in Interactive Platforms and Multimedia Storytelling, Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS), and Making a Riot in the Gaming Space!

The conference is accessible to all with Free Registration.
All video presentations are already available for preview on the YouTube Channel, and the Full Conference Program can be found online.

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Audiences Conference Data Visceralisation Interactive Filmmaking Interactive Media News People Publications Research

‘DCAC 2023′

The hybrid 5th International Conference on Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges (DCAC 2023), hosted by the Department of Audio & Visual Arts (Ionian University), is taking place in Corfu (Greece) and online, this week, 12-13 May 2023. The aim of DCAC 2023 is to bring together technology, art and culture in the Digital Era; provide a forum on current research and applications; and deepen cooperation, exchange experiences, and good practices.

As part of the conference, Dr Polina Zioga and Dr Catherine M. Weir will present our new work-in-progress project ‘This Place Has Its Own Air’: A Proof of Concept for Urban Air Quality Data Visceralisation, in Session 2: Digital Culture and Technologies, 12 May 2023, 11:30-12:45 EEST.

How can interactive video and real-time data visceralisation help audiences connect with their shared environment, and promote the reduction of urban air pollution?

[…] This paper presents ‘This Place Has Its Own Air’, a data-driven video-installation and proof of concept for urban air quality data visceralisation. Its title is based on the seminal memoir The Living Mountain (1977) by Nan Shepherd, and is concerned with the effect of the city’s air (man-made polluted environment) on the body. The video-installation uses the real-time air quality data of the city where it is presented, to create an evocative visceralisation of the bodily experience; enabling viewers to have a real-time glimpse of the air they breathe and reflect on the need for reducing the pollution of their environment. […]

(Zioga and Weir 2023)

You can find here: the schedule and the full list of speakers.

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New Services!

We have been quiet lately, but for a good reason. After more than five years of Research and Development in Interactive Film and Media, we have decided to take the next step in our journey and offer our services to you!

The reason is simple. The use of interactivity in the advertising, film and media sector is already driving the present and future of audience engagement. It creates new audience experiences and leverages new audience insight, but the development and production of interactive media and film can be complex and challenging, and the design of interactive audience research requires specialist expertise.

Whether you are a business interested in interactive advertising; a film and media company looking to develop an interactive production; a business or a filmmaker trying to better understand your audience, we offer:

  • Interactive Film, Media and Advertising Production
  • Interactive Media Consultancy
  • User Experience and Audience Research and Development
  • Interactive Filmmaking Training

Interested to find out more? Interact with us!

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Interactive Filmmaking Museums News People Publications Research

‘Interactive Film and Media 2022’

The #IFM2022 Virtual Conference is taking place online, from the 8th to the 10th of June 2022. This year’s conference reunites academics and practitioners to explore the definitions, terms, practices and conditions of interaction and interactivity in three strands: epistemology, listening, and ecomedia. Apart from the paper presentations, the conference also includes several exhibitions of interactive films.

The Full Conference Program & Registration (Free Admission) are now available: https://journals.library.ryerson.ca/index.php/InteractiveFilmMedia/program. While, the new issue of the #IFM Journal features all the video presentations: https://journals.library.ryerson.ca/index.php/InteractiveFilmMedia/issue/view/133.

As part of the conference, Victoria Wetzel and Dr Polina Zioga will present their research on ‘Paintings Alive: Interactive Films and Video Installations for Young Museum Visitors’, in Panel V ‘Hybrid & Augmented – Extended Experiences in Space’, 9 June 2022, 8:00-9:20 AM (Dallas) / 9:00-10:20 AM (Toronto) / 2:00-3:20 PM (Leeds) / 3:00-4:20 PM (Bayreuth).

[…] our research focuses on the use of interactive video technologies, and factors that can lead into the design of engaging and user-friendly museum experiences for children. To achieve this, a museum was chosen as a case study and a survey was conducted. The results […] led to the production of Paintings Alive, an interactive film for children, based on the museum’s art gallery, and accessible on the visitors’ mobile devices. Our paper also discusses the findings of the project, alongside the challenges and limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers recommendations for future work. […]

You can find here: the conference program, the full list of video presentations, together with the free registration.

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Art Exhibition Brain-Computer Interfaces Live Brain-Computer Cinema News People Research

‘Digital Art and Neurosciences’

Dr Polina Zioga was invited to speak about ‘Digital Art and Neurosciences’, at The European Centre/Contemporary Space Athens (74 Mitropoleos Street, Historical Centre of Athens, Greece), on the 20th of May 2022, and presented the ‘Live Brain-Computer Cinema’ research project and her work on ‘Enheduanna: A Manifesto of Falling’ Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance.

The invited talk was part of the ‘Digital Art, A New World’ art exhibition, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum: Μuseum of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, and the Project 2 Athens.

Zioga, P. (2022) ‘Digital Art and Neurosciences’. [Talk]. The European Centre/ Contemporary Space Athens, 20 May 2022.