1st Artistic Laboratory
By Lara Matos, CPL
Online session via Zoom, 23 February, 2026 10:00 – 11:15 CET
The first Artistic Laboratory session marked the beginning of a shared exploration process among artists from the four AMPLIFY pilots. This online meeting was designed as an initial moment of encounter, allowing participants to encounter each other’s artistic practices, to experience short performances, and to open a reflective space on co-creation and the role of technology in artistic work.
This laboratory is part of Tasks T2.3 and T7.3 of the AMPLIFY project, which aim to create a space for co-creation, experimentation and critical exploration of digital creativity with artists, focusing not on technological development itself, but on artistic experience and practice transformation.
The session functioned as a relational and creative starting point, preparing the ground for deeper exchanges in the upcoming meetings and for the face-to-face laboratory to be held in Barcelona.
Objectives
- To create an initial space of encounter among artists from the four pilots.
- To foster mutual knowledge of artistic languages, practices and contexts.
- To introduce the purpose and structure of the Artistic Laboratory within AMPLIFY.
- To experience short live artistic moments as a way of communicating beyond verbal presentation.
- To initiate reflection on co-creation and on the relationship between artistic practice and digital technology.
- To prepare the conceptual and relational basis for the next online sessions and the future in-person laboratory.
These objectives align with the broader goal of building a community of AMPLIFY artists and exploring how digital technologies may expand or transform artistic practices.
Participants
The session brought together artists, pilot leaders, technology developers and a facilitator supporting the human-centred perspective, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of AMPLIFY and its commitment to connecting artistic creation, technological exploration and collaborative reflection.
Artistic Participants (by Pilot)
FEISEAN
- Rae MacIver – Musician
- Claire Frances MacNeil – Musician
TPM
- Paolo Peewee – Musician
- Mauro La Mancusa – Musician
CPL
- Pedro Santos – Musician
- Inesa Markava – Dancer
LICEU
- Tomàs Peire – Componser
Pilot Leads / Artistic Coordination
- Francesco Mariotti – TPM Pilot Leader
- Paulo Lameiro – CPL Pilot Leader and Artistic Director
- Irene Calvis – LICEU Pilot Leader
- Calum Fraser – FEI co-Pilot Leader
Technological Representation
- Thomas – Software Developer (CWI), attending as technological observer to gather insights on artists’ expectations and interaction with future AMPLIFY tools.
Human-centric team representatives
- Ibrahim El Shemy, attending as observer from the Human-Centric team and later facilitator for the workshop
- Katrien De Moor, attending as observer from the Human-Centric team and later facilitator for the workshop
Process Accompaniment and Reflective Support
- Lara Matos – Psychologist, supporting the human-centred perspective and reflective monitoring of the artistic process within CPL Pilot
Human-Centred and Co-Creation Approach
The session followed a relational and exploratory methodology grounded in:
- Artistic exchange through practice rather than description
- Recognition of artists as co-creators within the research process
- Emphasis on listening, curiosity and mutual inspiration
- Creation of a shared reflective space across disciplines and geographies
This approach reflects the intention of the laboratory to stimulate new artistic expressions and transformative experiences through interaction with AMPLIFY tools and concepts.
Session structure
The session was organised into three main moments:
Welcome and Framing
Introduction to the aims of the Artistic Laboratory and its role within the AMPLIFY projects.
Artistic Presentations / Performative Moments
Each pilot shared short live performances or artistic demonstrations (up to 8 minutes per pilot), allowing participants to encounter each other’s languages, aesthetics and creative processes in a direct and experiential way.
Collective Reflection
Artists were invited to reflect briefly on two guiding questions:
- What is your relationship with technology in your artistic practice?
- What do you know or expect from the technologies being developed in AMPLIFY?
This structure followed the format defined for the online laboratories, where each meeting begins with artistic sharing to stimulate dialogue and inspiration among participants.
Reflections and discussion
The discussion revealed a shared openness and curiosity among artists regarding the dialogue between art and technology.
Technological Perspective
Participants reported having some prior awareness of the AMPLIFY technological developments, although at an early stage of understanding. Technology was largely perceived not as a goal in itself, but as a potential tool capable of expanding artistic possibilities,
supporting new forms of interaction, and enabling alternative modes of composition and performance.
Artistic Expectations
Artists expressed interest in exploring how these tools might enrich creative processes without compromising artistic identity or relational depth. There was a clear emphasis on maintaining the human and expressive core of artistic practice while experimenting with digital mediation.
Relational Dimension
The opportunity to meet artists from different countries, disciplines and creative traditions was highlighted as particularly valuable. Participants recognised this laboratory as a space for building trust, exchanging perspectives and nurturing collaborative creativity across the four pilots.
Shared Outlook
The session generated a collective sense of anticipation regarding the forthcoming meetings and the future face-to-face laboratory in Barcelona, seen as an opportunity to experiment concretely with technologies while strengthening an international artistic community.
Next steps
- Continue the cycle of online Artistic Laboratory meetings, deepening dialogue between artistic practices and the technological possibilities introduced by AMPLIFY.
- Foster ongoing exchange among artists from different pilots, strengthening the relational dimension that supports future co-creation.
- Gradually build a shared understanding of how the digital tools may be explored artistically, without predefined outcomes, allowing space for experimentation and discovery.
- Prepare the conceptual and collaborative ground for the Face-to-Face Artistic Laboratory to be held in Barcelona (October 2026), where practical exploration with the technologies will take place.
- Consolidate this emerging network of artists as a community of practice within AMPLIFY, encouraging mutual inspiration across disciplines, cultures and creative processes.
Conclusions
This first Artistic Laboratory session highlighted the importance of creating time and space for artists from different pilots to meet, share practices and build relationships before engaging in technological experimentation. The encounter reinforced that collaboration, trust and open communication between artistic teams are essential for the meaningful development of the AMPLIFY project.
The presence of a technological representative allowed an initial bridge between artistic perspectives and technological development, enabling a direct listening to artists’ expectations, questions and sensitivities regarding the tools being created. This dialogue confirmed the project’s intention to ensure that technology emerges in response to artistic practice, rather than determining it.
Overall, the session established a relational foundation for future laboratories, initiating a process of mutual understanding that will support the co-creative work planned for the face-to-face meeting in Barcelona.
