What has been your experience so far working with this framework? What has changed during the process?
My approach has been to see what emerges rather than starting with a fixed framework. The work has been in a constant state of reflection and reanalysis. Only recently have I been able to identify the boundary concepts I presented, they were not predefined, they appeared gradually as patterns across the different labs. The Professional Doctorate program is also very collaborative, with artists and researchers working on similar trajectories in different universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. The key thing emerging now is that the framework is starting to become more transferable across contexts.
How would this AT-LAB methodology look in practice? What kinds of activities take place inside one of these labs?
I usually try to design an artistic or creative activity that allows participants to interact with the system in an open way. For example, I sometimes use card-based exercises inspired by Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, cards that introduce unexpected prompts or constraints. In prompting workshops, participants are not only asked to write prompts for AI systems but also to rethink the prompts themselves. A card might suggest thinking upside down, thinking through water, or imagining the opposite of what seems obvious. The goal is to create an imaginative environment that helps participants engage with AI systems even if they initially feel unsure where to begin.
Participatory practices can sometimes be politically instrumentalized. How do you see AI interacting with those dynamics?
In some ways AI certainly amplifies existing issues. Many of the questions we are facing are not entirely new. However, artistic interventions can sometimes open new perspectives. In the rural health project, designers noticed that people would use wearable devices for a week and then stop, the project stalled. When we created immersive environments that translated sensor data into light and sound, participants began to interact differently, discussing the technologies more openly and feeling more ownership over the data. In that sense the artistic environment helped people reclaim a sense of agency in relation to the technology.
Could you describe a concrete example of how participatory AI tools were used in a civic project?
One example comes from a placemaking project in Reggio Emilia, Italy, working with a startup from Poland. The city wanted to collect ideas from residents about public spaces, normally through surveys, which many people don't respond to. Instead we designed an interactive walk through the city. Participants used an app to generate speculative images of what those spaces could become, received prompt cards with unexpected perspectives, could see what others had created, modify ideas, vote for ones they liked, and leave comments. The result was a more collective and creative process where participants could build on each other's ideas.
Could you talk more about the immersive installation work — the Atmosfera project?
In Atmosfera I worked with a scientific tool developed by NASA called the Planetary Spectrum Generator, a system that simulates atmospheric conditions on different planets, calculating how light interacts with particles depending on viewing angle and environmental factors. Instead of presenting this as a scientific visualization, I created an immersive audiovisual installation using layered projections, fog, and sound. We used a special screen called hologauze that allows light to pass through while still reflecting part of the image. By placing fog both in front of and behind the screen, the projected light became visible in the air. The audience moved through planetary environments including Venus, Neptune, and Jupiter. At the end I introduced an AI-generated layer to remind the audience that what they experienced was always mediated through computational systems.
Are you also developing the technical systems yourself?
Yes. My background is in art, design, and technology. Much of my work involves creative coding and building custom systems. I am active in communities related to new media art and creative coding. Recently I have also been experimenting with collaborative coding practices that involve language models generating or assisting with code, some people refer to this informally as vibe coding.