Personal Information
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Given name: Feilim 









Surname: O'hAolain









Email: f.ohaolain@artez.nl









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Your contribution
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Title: The Semiotics of Synthetic Spaces: Embodied Knowledge and Multilingual Narratives in Digital Performance









Format: Experimental format (4)









Main language: English









Abstract:
This proposal, developed by the Future Storytelling Lab (FSL), investigates the creative and pedagogical potential of generating visual naratives in performance and artistic research. Led by Feilim Ó hAoláin (Programme Coordinator, FSL), the session brings together Niek Van Oosterweyk (dancer/choreographer), Cris Molee (technologist), and Pol Eggermont (dramaturg & technologist) to explore how AI-driven image generation can enhance interdisciplinary collaboration between movement, language, and digital media.

In this laboratory setting, participants will experiment live with generative design softwares, converting embodied movement and multilingual prompts into AI-generated visual narratives. Through practice-based experimentation, the workshop not only explores how AI can reshape artistic practices, but also fosters critical reflection on these performances or happenings—examining their aesthetic, ethical, and conceptual implications.

Participants will:
-Experiment with Stable Diffusion as a performative and educational medium, integrating movement, voice, and multilingual input.
-Discuss strategies for embedding AI in arts education, focusing on interdisciplinary learning, digital literacy, and collaborative creation.
-Explore how AI challenges boundaries between physical/digital performance and the roles of creator, performer, and audience.
-Address key tensions, such as authorship, agency, and the algorithm’s role in live and educational settings. 

Drawing on the Future Storytelling Lab’s expertise in experimental pedagogy and performance technology at ArtEZ University, the workshop will equip participants with actionable insights for integrating AI into their research or alternatively creating a space of critique and dialogue around this emerging technology.

Designed for artists, educators, and researchers, this session invites reimagining AI as a tool for innovation, storytelling, and critical inquiry in contemporary practice.











Image: https://test.sar2026.ie/system/files/webform/submit_contribution/326/P1011647.jpg









Short biographies of the presenter(s):
- Feilim Ó hAoláin (IRL/NL) is a Programme Coordinator at the Future Storytelling Lab and is also Projects Coordinator at Unesco Chair for Issues Based Arts Education (ArtEZ University of the Arts). Over the past three years at Future Storytelling Lab (FSL), he has pioneered a dynamic residency programme, cultivated a vibrant interdisciplinary learning community, and reimagined the academy’s curricula to embed emerging technologies—such as AI, interactive media, and digital storytelling—into artistic education and research. 
  
  
  
  
- Cris Mollee (NL) is a Utrecht-based creative technologist and scenographer whose work sits at the intersection of AI, digital physicality, and live performance. With a DIY ethos and experimental approach, she designs interactive systems and scenographic environments that transform human movement, sound, and data into dynamic, AI-driven experiences. Her projects—shown at Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), DGTL, Le Guess Who?, and Ars Electronica—challenge traditional performance formats by positioning technology as a collaborative partner, rather than a mere tool. Mollee’s practice questions how algorithms, embodiment, and real-time interaction can redefine the boundaries of live art, electronic music culture, and digital storytelling.
  
- Niek Van Oosterweyk (BE) is a mime artist and interactive performance maker, trained at the Amsterdam School of the Arts. His practice merges physical theatre, digital media, and multilingual prompts to create immersive, real-time experiences that blur the line between analogue and digital performance. Through interactive spaces and embodied storytelling, he investigates themes of polarity, movement as language, and the intersection of body and technology, inviting audiences into participatory, sensory-rich environments where gesture, sound, and digital interaction converge.
  
- Pol Eggermont is dramaturg of Feikes Huis (Amsterdam), a leading hub for object theatre, performance technology, and interdisciplinary art. With a background in dramaturgy and new media, he specializes in developing interactive installations, digital performances, and educational projects that bridge traditional theatre, technology, and audience engagement. His work at Feikes Huis and the Performance Technology Lab explores how live art, VR, audio-visual systems, and participatory design can redefine storytelling and pedagogy.










Previous presentations or iterations of the research:
An earlier inspiration of this proposed laboratory took place at ArtEZ University's Future Labs programme in January 2026. During a project week with a inter disciplinary group of bachelor theater and dance students, participants were invited to explore and experiment in a workshop based around stable diffusion led by technologist Cris Mollee. It was the first of its kind at ArtEZ University and feedback from students and teachers respectively led to further considerations to develop it. 















Requirements
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Additional information:
This experiment holds particular significance in bridging the artistic research landscapes of the Netherlands and Ireland, two countries with rich traditions in interdisciplinary performance, multilingual storytelling, and digital innovation. Both nations share a strong emphasis on experimental pedagogy and the integration of emerging technologies into creative practices, making this workshop a timely exploration of shared methodologies and cultural exchange.

The Netherlands and Ireland have become hubs for artistic research that merges technology with embodied practices. The experiment/lab serves as a case study for how AI can act as a catalyst or even a threat to new forms of artistic dialogue, particularly in educational and community-driven settings. By examining the similarities in how both countries approach AI, movement, and language, the workshop not only advances technical and creative methodologies but also strengthens transnational connections in artistic research.










Spatial and technical requirements :
A large black box/white cube studio is the most ideal setting for this event but it it could be suitable within certain perameters in other locations.

basic requirements:
Large projection back walls (white)
Ideally or prospectively  x3 walls whereby projection would be 270 degree from a ceiling.
Showcasing both the outcome or visualisation but also the components of creating stable diffusion and touch designer elements. 













Potential risks or ethical concerns:
The workshop explicitly engages with ethical questions surrounding AI in artistic practice such as Authorship & Agency (Who "owns" AI-generated work, and how do we credit human/machine collaboration?), Bias & Representation (How do training datasets and algorithms influence (or limit) creative output, particularly in multilingual and multicultural contexts?),Embodiment & Consent (What are the implications of using biometric data (movement, voice) in live AI performances).










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