Hackathons, workshops, online lectures, and studio sessions: from 10 to 12 February, Think Inside The Box takes place.

The German university of fine arts HBKsaar and the Germany-based institute for strategic aesthetics K8 organise this event in collaboration with the European innovation projects IMPULSE, HAMLET, and CYANOTYPES.

Participants explore how developments in XR and AI are changing the way we look at the world—also in how we conceive of, experience, and preserve cultural and digital heritage. Everyone is welcome to take part; no specific skills are required to think and act together at the cutting edge.

On 11 February from 14:00–16:00, ICK Dans Amsterdam, together with partners CYENS and AUTh, presents ongoing research into “Archetype Alchemy,” the third pilot of HAMLET. Earlier ICK projects on dance creation and the transmission of dance knowledge through new technologies will also be presented.

With the rapid developments of the digital and virtual world, international and European collaborations are emerging just as quickly. Large and small networks, bringing together specialised knowledge from diverse disciplines, are joining forces. For ICK, research into new technologies and the forging of cross-disciplinary connections has been a key priority for many years. We are actively involved in several major European collaborations and are keen to share updates on them. The many partners, projects, and collaborations sometimes result in a dense web of abbreviations, acronyms, and newly coined names with a fondness for capital letters. For those interested, we are happy to clarify:

IMPULSE: an EU-funded project in which artists, researchers, and heritage professionals explore the digitalisation of cultural heritage.

HAMLET: a creative hub where artists, game developers, and cultural professionals share knowledge toward the development of human-centred AI.

AI: Artificial Intelligence.

XR: an umbrella term encompassing VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality).

CYANOTYPES: a cyanotype is a blueprint, but in this context – in capitals – the name refers to an initiative of the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, bringing together a broad range of (cultural) organisations to address not only digital transition, but also challenges such as pandemics and the green transition.

CYENS: the Cypriot Centre of Excellence for creativity and innovation.

AUTh: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.