Sounak Das, Den Bosch, The Netherlands

Artist

Sounak Das is a multimedia artist currently undergoing MEDIAE 2024/25 Online Masterclass on Transmedia Storytelling, PhMuseum. He studied MA in Visual Arts and Post-Contemporary practice at Masters Institute of Visual Cultures, Netherlands. With a passion for storytelling, he has a background in documentary photography and journalism from Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Bangladesh.

His creative process involves the amalgamation of photography, sound, fi lm & moving images, sculptural installations, and blending technologies to engage in immersive-interactive installations. He is captivated by the experimental use of media and technology in art. He means to analyze the causality of his lived experiences subsumed in the technocentric age, bridging the human, machine, and nature relation as an intrinsic entanglement. He explores the deeper philosophical and metaphysical implications of technology and human existence in contemporary culture. He contributes to developing pedagogy and mentorship to blend speculative tools and techniques for new media storytelling.

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Leeza Pritychenko, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Media artist and animator

Leeza Pritychenko is an Amsterdam-based media artist and animator. Her work spans VR installations, audio-visual collaborations with musicians and dancers, VJ performances, and commissioned projects for cultural institutions.

Her work centers around exploring various aspects of human condition through the lens of digital media and technology, while marrying dark existentialism and the eeriness of the subconscious with storytelling and world-building. Through a distinctive visual language that layers abstract forms with organic, dreamlike textures, she creates unsettling yet compelling worlds where the boundaries between the virtual and physical blur. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from the KABK, The Hague (2016), where she developed a VR installation based on Baudrillard’s hyperreality. She worked as a Digital Art Director at W+K Amsterdam’s Department of New Realities (WKDPTNR), focusing on interactive experiences. Her work has been shown at DDW, ADE, MIRA Festival, Progress Bar, DEMO, Ruhrtriennale, Tate Lates, FIBER, SYNERGY, and more.

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Eleni Kamma, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Visual artist, researcher, and educator

Eleni Kamma (Athens, 1973) is a visual artist, researcher and educator. She holds a PhD Doctoral degree from Leiden University Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (2016-2021). In 2008/2009 she was a Fine Art Researcher at the Jan Van Eyck Academie, Maastricht.

Her work has been presented at various exhibition venues, fi lm and performance festivals world-wide, including, among others, Kunsthal Gent; West Den Haag; 10th International Istanbul Biennial; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens; Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; IASPIS, Stockholm; SALT, Istanbul; WIELS, Brussels, Cittadellarte –Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella; Kristianstads konsthall, Kristianstad; Transmediale, Berlin; Museum-M, Leuven. Kamma is a team member at the Academy of Arts Maastricht. She was a mentor for the Visual Arts SNF Artist Fellowship Program 2022, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Athens, and a visiting lecturer at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK) and LUCA School of Arts, Brussels. Kamma lives and works in Brussels and Maastricht.

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Kristina Paustian, Berlin, Germany

Video artist and researcher in palliative care

Kristina Paustian (*1985, Omsk/RU, based in Berlin) is a German-Russian artist working with fi lm, video installation, and performance. A founding member of medienkunst e.V., she explores experimental formats for time-based media.

Paustian studied Art and Media at the Berlin University of the Arts and Palliative Care at FH Münster, engaging with cultural, anthropological, and sociopolitical themes, including identity, memory, and body politics. Her accolades include the ARTE Documentary Film Award, and her work has been featured in international venues such as Les Rencontres Internationals, Arsenal Cinema Berlin, Visions du Réel, Duisburger Filmwoche, Torino International Film Festival, Odessa Biennale, Athens Biennale, Tashkent Biennale, and in the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, and more.”

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Kurina Sohn, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Artists

Kurina Sohn is a multidisciplinary designer from Korea who is based in Amsterdam. She has been involved in residencies, grants, and exhibits internationally: Z33(Hasselt, BE), V2_Unstable Media(Rotterdam, NL), Ars Electonica with IMPAKT, Het Nieuwe Instituut (Rotterdam, NL), Dutch Design Week, and COLLECTIBLES. She has co-initiated a fl uid Asian collective called NeeNe Collective.

Her work delves into the extraordinary, exploring diverse realms, life forms, and narratives that transcend the ordinary. Grounded in comprehensive research, her projects employ a poetic approach to offer fl uid and inclusive interpretations of modern realities. Utilizing tools and technologies such as artifi cial intelligence and digital fabrication, she infuses her creations with a deep theoretical understanding of these transformative elements, ranging from collectible design to immersive installations. Constantly pursuing innovation, Kurina remains committed to challenging societal norms and expanding the boundaries of design.

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Marina Orlova, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Artists

Marina Orlova is an independent dance/theatre maker and tech dramaturg. After receiving education in sociology (‘09) and cultural studies (‘12) in Moscow, she became a self-taught dance artist and later moved to Amsterdam to study at the experimental choreography department (SNDO) at the Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance (‘21).

Since 2020 she has been working with AI on stage, being a mediator between AI engineering logic and theatre apparatus. She is creating anti-disciplinary performances on the crossover of mental health, AI ethics, and Data feminism. In 2024 she was an alumni-in-residence at IDlab at AHK and her latest project “I’m a Robot and I Need Therapy” was presented at Veem House for Performance, Flam Festival Amsterdam, Frascati Theater Amsterdam, and Next Level Festival (DE). Her current artistic practice also includes writing, teaching, and facilitating a support group for “artists in distress”. Her aesthetics are autofi ction, tragicomedy, and absurdism.

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Armand Lesecq, Paris and Strasbourg, France

Interdisciplinary artist and music composer

Armand Lesecq (1994, FR) is an interdisciplinary artist and music composer developing a practice in the fi elds of sound and visual art, art-science, experimental music, and expanded cinema. He holds a Master’s degree from the Artscience Interfaculty (The Hague, NL), studied at the HEAR Strasbourg (FR), and electroacoustic music at the Conservatoire de Pantin (FR).

His research lies at the crossroads between studies of altered states of consciousness (hypnosis, sensory deprivation), psychophysical phenomena (otoacoustic emission, phosphene), and the role of mental projections in the process of reality-making (perception). His work revolves around the induction of psychic states, the suggestion of mental images, and perceptual confusion. He is developing research on closed-eye cinema with the project Phosphene. He is active as an electronic musician in the experimental music scene, playing solo as well as in collaborative projects. He also works as a sound designer, and electroacoustic composer for fi lm, installation, and performing arts.

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Sara Garofalo, Bologna, Italy

Scientist

Researcher by day, science communicator by night. I am a Neuroscientist and a Professor of Psychometrics at the Department of Psychology of the University of Bologna (Italy). My scientifi c research focuses on understanding and measuring how the human brain responds to external stimuli that, once associated with rewards and punishments (that is, what we desire or fear), can infl uence our daily choices.

As a science communicator, I wrote books, articles, and create video content for various platforms, including TED, TED-Ed, and HuffPost UK. I also organize public events, mainly focused on the psychological mechanisms behind seemingly irrational choices and the ways social media interact with our brain. I was awarded the Italian National Prize for Science Communication (Under 35) for my fi rst science communication book “Sbagliando non si impara” (Il Saggiatore, 2021), which explores the power cognitive biases in daily life choices.

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Leila Salvesen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Scientist

Leila Salvesen is a doctor in cognitive neuroscience, specializing in consciousness research. Her work has primarily focused on dream consciousness, investigating the determinants of oneiric experiences and their relationship to sensory (dis)connection processes during sleep. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at VU Amsterdam, exploring the neural signatures of meditative practices and how they may inform predictive brain theories.

Beyond scientifi c research, Leila is training as a hypnotherapist, building on her background in psychology to harness spontaneously arising altered states of consciousness for mental health. She also contributes as an activist for European policy reform initiatives, supporting the development of frameworks that integrate psychedelic-assisted therapies into clinical settings, further emphasizing the potential of altered states of consciousness to enhance psychological well-being.

As a classically trained violinist, she enjoys exploring improvisation and creative expression. Passionate about combining art and science, she has contributed to several interdisciplinary residencies as a researcher.

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Marieke Klein, Arnhem, The Netherlands

Scientist

Marieke Klein is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Radboudumc in Nijmegen. She received her BSc and MSc in Medical Biology and completed her PhD at the Radboud University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Her PhD research focused on the genetic causes of ADHD and the underlying neurobiology of this disorder. Her main research interest is to uncover how the genetic code, in interaction with environmental factors, shapes the human brain and infl uences our behavior. She is particularly interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. In her research, she investigates the contribution of different types of genetic variants as well as the role of environmental factors, the interplay which is refl ected in epigenetic mechanisms.

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Leslie Tricoche, Ghent, Belgium

Scientist

I am Leslie Tricoche, currently a post-doctoral researcher in social neurosciences. Between 2018 and 2022, I completed a PhD within the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (France). My objective was to identify the neural bases of Social Facilitation/Inhibition, comparing children and adults, seeking to understand why, from a very young age, the mere presence of a peer modifi es our cognitive performance.

Expanding from the exploration of basic social contexts, my fi rst postdoctoral research at Gent University (Belgium, from Oct. 2022) delved into more complex forms of interaction. Specifi cally, I investigated the effect of coercion and the neuro-cognitive processes leading to prosocial disobedience, in civilian and military populations.

In a more personal context, I am acutely aware of environmental issues, values that have increasingly played a signifi cant role in shaping my daily life choices over the years. Consequently, I developed a line of research combining my professional ambitions with my personal values.

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Maartje de Jong, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Scientist

Maartje de Jong is a scientist at the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience in Amsterdam. She uses MRI scanners and electrodes on the scalp or inside a brain to measure activations in alive and functioning human brains.

Her research work is interested in how our brain makes sense of all the information it receives through our senses. She wants to know how our brain uses this information to create a meaningful image of the outside world. An image that serves our needs and goals and guides our behaviors. Refl ecting on its multidisciplinary nature, she has also studied her research topic at the Child Psychiatry department of UMC Utrecht and at the faculties of Physics and Psychology of Utrecht University. She currently uses visual illusions and pharmacological substances that manipulate how we see things. Playing with visual consciousness in these ways and measuring brain activations at the same time, helps us understand what goes on in our brains when we see the world.

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Olivia Carrubba, Rome, Italy

Scientist

I am a social neuroscientist, PhD candidate in Psychology and Social Neuroscience at La Sapienza University of Rome. My research explores how our internal, visceral signals—heartbeat and gastric sensations—profoundly shape how we navigate the world, perceive others, and make social choices. By integrating psychophysiology, behavioral, and top-down methods such as TMS, I investigate how these bodily cues infl uence our social connections.

Previously, I conducted research at NYU, examining how minimal knowledge about groups and social anxiety shape social learning and bias. At the University of Amsterdam, I studied the effects of induced anxiety on economic decision-making across minimal groups. I hold an rMSc in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Amsterdam and a BA in Philosophy and Knowledge from La Sapienza University.

My work seeks to unravel the intricate dialogue between body and mind, revealing how internal states guide the connections we construct with ourselves and others.

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Haoyu (Nina) Zhou, Ghent, Belgium

Scientist

I am a third-year PhD student in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Ghent University. Originally from Beijing, China, I have spent much of my life studying abroad in the UK, Germany, and now Belgium—an experience that has deeply shaped my curiosity about language, culture, and human nature.

Currently, my research focuses on investigating the use of statistical learning in individual readers, particularly how varying sensitivities to orthographic regularities can impact their reading performance.

Beyond my academic work, I actively seek inspiration from books, music, and media, while also exploring my own refl ections through painting, creative writing, and photography. I feel incredibly fortunate that my current path allows me to engage with the world through both scientifi c inquiry and creative expression, constantly searching for and shaping new perspectives.

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Anaïs Notario Reinoso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Scientist

Anaïs Notario Reinoso is a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam. She was born in a small town in the South of Spain. Before moving to Amsterdam, she studied for her Bachelor in Madrid. During that time, she spent 6 months in Ghent, Belgium, as part of an Erasmus Program. Afterward, she moved to Antwerp, Belgium, to do a Master in Neuroscience.

Her research work focuses on the long-lasting effects of cannabis consumption during adolescence on brain functioning. Specifi cally, she is very interested in the Prefrontal Cortex, a region of the brain that is in charge of complex tasks such as decision-making, planning, and social behaviors. This brain region is the last one to fi nish developing (25 years old) and therefore it is very vulnerable to insults such as drug consumption during the time before 25 years old.

She believes that increasing the younger generation’s understanding of how their brain develops and the risks and consequences of consuming cannabis during adolescence, allowing them to understand their own brain will give them agency to decide in a more informed way about the habits they want to acquire/maintain.

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