Who are we?

Laura Olin is the COO & founder of ZOAN, based in Helsinki. Zoan is a VR studio that creates high-quality virtual reality experiences and real-time 3D Models. Their solutions are based on technological innovations, such as the unique 3D modeling platform for real estate. Others focus on virtual storytelling and creating powerful experiences and simulated realities for marketing, travel, and education. Their projects are internationally recognized and known for their high visual quality. Laura is an alumni of the summer school ‘Storytelling in VR. An immersive encounter.’

Nele Van de Mosselaer is a postdoctoral researcher (Research Foundation Flanders – FWO) at the University of Antwerp. Her fields of interest are the philosophy of fiction, game studies, and narratology. In her research, she explores the relation between imagination, emotions, actions, and desires in the context of fiction experiences. She is especially interested in how the boundaries between reality and fiction can be blurred within virtual environments. She has also co-designed a philosophical videogame about these subjects (playable at https://doors.gua-le-ni.com).

Martina Menegon is a digital artist living and working in Vienna. In her works, Martina creates intimate and complex assemblages of physical and virtual elements that explore the contemporary self and its hybrid corporeality. Working predominantly with Interactive and Extended Reality Art, she experiments with new forms of performative and glitched self-portraiture to explore new simulated fluid identities and create disorienting experiences that become perceivable despite their virtual nature.

Oliver Sahli is a game designer focusing on the development of virtual reality games. He works as a research assistant at the Immersive Arts Space Zürich on virtual reality and immersion. Together with Chris Elvis Leisi, he founded the company ArchLevel GmbH during his bachelor's degree in Game Design.

Felix Gaedtke is an acclaimed immersive storyteller and creative producer currently based in Berlin. He co-founded the immersive storytelling studio NowHere Media with an urge to create spaces for under-represented voices in mainstream discourses. His passion to convey different realities across the world has led him to working with VR and AR storytelling techniques. His recent work KUSUNDA takes you into the lives of an indigenous group in Nepal and their fight for language reclamation. KUSUNDA recently won the prestigious Storyscapes Award at Tribeca Film Festival. He is a Sundance New Frontier alumnus and has also won ‘Best Use of Immersive Arts’ at SXSW as well as the Lumiere Award for ‘Best VR documentary’ among other accolades. Felix’s immersive works have been exhibited at the Venice International Film Festival, SXSW, Cannes XR, the UN, HotDocs, Bergen International Film Festival and beyond.

Paolo Silvio Harald Favéro is a visual anthropologist presently Associate Professor in Film Studies and Visual Culture at the Department of Communication Studies, University of Antwerp. A member of at the Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center (ViDi) he is also the Chair of the MA in Film Studies and Visual Culture. His core interest is the role of images (new and old) in human life. An important part of his research is about immersive images and the way 360° video, virtual, augmented and mixed reality seek to wrap viewers in the image and to blur the distance between viewer and viewed, self and world.

Kristof Timmerman is a designer and director of digital performances and installations, working in the field of live, interactive digital environments and virtual reality. He is the chair and coordinator of MAXlab, the research group on the interaction between art and digital technology at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. He is involved as promoter and researcher in several research projects on virtual and augmented reality, mostly in a multidisciplinary context, and is currently working on his doctoral research ‘Sense of Wonder. Artistic portals between the real and the virtual’.

Kristof Timmerman

Kristof Timmerman is chairman of Maxlab, the research group on the interaction between art and digital technology of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. As a promoter and researcher, he is involved in various research projects on virtual and augmented reality, often in a multidisciplinary context. He is affiliated with the Immersive Lab of the AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts and annually organizes this summer school. Kristof studied Product Development, Theater Science and Film and Video Art. He worked for several theater companies, including the experimental company CREW and founded the artist collective Studio POC, which produces digital art projects.

Silvia Van Aken

After the master Communication (KU Leuven), Silvia Van Aken (PhD) acquired years of project experience in the broad communication and journalistic sector. In 2007 she started as a lecturer (interaction design methods) and researcher visual studies (LUCA School of Arts Genk). She supervised student projects on 360° video, VR, interactive stories and installations. She specialized in audiovisual and narrative techniques and in user experience and gave lectures at national and international scientific conferences. Since 2016 she has been working for Graphical & Digital Media at the AP UnivAfter the master Communication (KU Leuven), Silvia Van Aken (PhD) acquired years of project experience in the broad communication and journalistic sector. In 2007 she started as a lecturer (interaction design methods) and researcher visual studies (LUCA School of Arts Genk). She supervised student projects on 360° video, VR, interactive stories and installations. She specialized in audiovisual and narrative techniques and in user experience and gave lectures at national and international scientific conferences. Since 2016 she has been working for Graphical & Digital Media at the AP University College as a lecturer and researcher.rsity College as a lecturer and researcher. Silvia is currently responsible for the multidisciplinary research project Show & Tell!.

Jeroen Cluckers

Jeroen Cluckers is a video artist and filmmaker. He creates audiovisual dreamscapes that explore, question and transform the boundaries between fiction and reality, digital and analog, cinema and painting, image and imagination. Quickly after obtaining his Master in Fine Art (Media Art at KASK Gent), his work was picked up internationally. Today it has been exhibited in more than 40 countries worldwide, at festivals, musea and galleries and received several awards. Since 2017 he is connected to Graphical and Digital Media as a Lecturer-Researcher, and conducted research in immersive storytelling in the research project Show & Tell!.

Wannes Heirman

Wannes Heirman (PhD) is a postdoctoral researcher and professor at the University of Antwerp and AP University College. His research interests include various areas (e.g. online privacy and cyberbullying). He has already published extensively on these topics in international peer-reviewed journals. Wannes Heirman is also involved in several international research projects, including the COST Cyberbullying program funded by Europe and the World Internet Project (WIP). He was also involved in the two most recent publications of the Belgian Observatory for the Rights on the Internet ('Cyber bullying on minors' and 'E-marketing and minors'). He recently broadened his research interest as a senior researcher at AP University College: "Gastgerichtheid In De Zorg" (2015-2018), "Show & Tell! Immersive Storytelling" (2017-2019), "Data Driven Marketing Strategy" (2018-2022), "News4You(th)". (2019-2023), "DigitOF" (2019-2023) and "LAP: Learning Analytics AP" (2019-2023). He also regularly gives lectures and demos on VR and data such as at the Corporate Video Festival, Science Day and AP Research Day.

Frederik Marain

Frederik Marain obtained a master in Philosophy and a master in Economics (KU Leuven). He followed an MBA Strategy at Vlerick Leuven Gent Business School. From 1988 to 1996 he was a business editor at the editorial office Economics of the newspaper De Standaard, where he reported the news and trends of the Belgian and international business. After eight years, he became the chief editor/publisher of the Flemish Internet company Planet Internet Belgium, a company that he also founded. At the moment he is an independent internet journalist and strategic consultant at The Reference, where he gives advice to companies willing to migrate to the next web environment. Since 1999, Frederik has been teaching journalism at various educational institutions, including AP University College Antwerp. Frederik was a researcher for the Show & Tell project, for which he is did journalistic experiments.

Wes Nijssen

Wes Nijssen graduated as a Graphic Designer (LUCA School of Arts, Genk), specialising in 3D animation. He started as a Motion Designer & Animation at Design is Dead. During seven years he realized videos, 3D & motion graphics, combined with online projects, for a variety of (inter)national clients. In 2014 he founded his own polygraphic studio: Visual Assault. Currently Wes works for AP University College in Antwerp, namely as a teacher and researcher for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and for the Graphic & Digital Media (Science & Technology) course.

Lowie Spriet

Lowie Spriet graduated as a bachelor Electronics-ICT (AP University of Applied Sciences Antwerp) in 2020. Since 2018, Lowie has been giving programming lessons at CodeFever. Since 2021, he has been working as a researcher for the Immersive Lab (AP University of Applied Sciences), namely for the Tetra project AI-driven VR training (2021-2022) and for Merging Realities (2020-2024). As a 3D Unity developer, he develops solutions and training for Virtual, Augmented & Mixed Reality.