Symposium: Gesture, Movement, and Attention. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on XR
13 December 2024 |
Johan Huizinga – Room 0.09
Doelensteeg 16
2311 VL Leiden
Extended Reality (XR) technologies are reshaping our interactions with digital media, demanding new ways of thinking about perception, embodiment, and sensory engagement. This symposium brings together an interdisciplinary group of researchers, artists, and scholars to examine how XR technologies activate gesture, movement, and attention in unique ways. We will explore how these immersive experiences engage our bodies in new perceptual frameworks, facilitating a nuanced understanding of XR’s physiological and experiential impact on users. By focusing on Gesture, Movement, and Attention, we will delve into how XR tools and narratives guide our sensory interpretations, exploring both intentional and spontaneous movements within XR media. This event will encourage cross-disciplinary conversations, linking insights from art, media, psychology, and digital technology.
Programme
Please note: Schedule is tentative and subject to change.
12:00 – 12.30 – Opening
13:00 | Opening Remarks
Introduction by Ksenia Fedorova (Leiden University) and Jose Hopkins (Leiden University).
13:10 | Keynote Talk: Katalin Eva Balint (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Topic: The Effect of Cinematic Formal Features on Viewers’ Responses
14:00 | Break
14:15 | Keynote Talk: Maarten Overdijk (HKU)
Topic: Spatial Narratives
15:00 | Coffee and Tea Break
15:20 | Panel: “Meet the Makers”
Presentations by invited creators exploring diverse approaches to XR:
- Sofia Bulgakova – OTHERWORLDS: Integrating Ukrainian traditions with VR to create participatory and sensory-rich performances.
- Margherita Bergamo (Scènes du monde, EDESTA, Université Paris 8; Corso di dottorato Arti visive, performative, mediali, Università di Bologna) – Body-based story telling between contemporary dance and immersive digital art.).
- Celine Daemen (to be confirmed) – Songs of a Passerby: Exploring spatial storytelling.
- Victorine van Alphen (to be confirmed) – The Oracle: Ritual for the future
16:30 | Panel Conversation
17:30 | Closing Drinks
We are excited to welcome you to this first symposium at the Leiden University Centre for Digital Humanities, a promising start to what we hope will be a recurring platform for XR research and creative practice.
Attendance is free, but please let us know whether you will attend by registering via this link.
If you have questions, please contact j.a.hopkins.brocq[at]hum.leidenuniv.nl.