Join us for an engaging online workshop led by Dr. Maria Shehade and Prof. Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert from the CYENS Centre of Excellence and the Cyprus University of Technology, who have been invited by the Cluj Cultural Centre in Romania to explore the transformative impact of emerging technologies on museum experiences.
This workshop will provide an in-depth look at how innovations like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and multisensory installations are revolutionizing how visitors interact with museums. Discover how these technologies create immersive environments that engage the body, senses, and emotions, fostering a deeper connection to museum narratives, artifacts, and environments.
The session will draw from two key publications, Museums and Technologies of Presence and Emerging Technologies and Museums: Mediating Difficult Heritage (both edited by the speakers), to explore how immersive technologies can:
- Enhance spatial awareness in museum settings.
- Make the invisible visible by turning absence into presence.
- Evoke emotional and empathetic responses through embodied experiences.
Whether you’re a researcher, curator, or enthusiast of how technology is reshaping the museum world, this workshop offers valuable insights into the intersection of technological innovation and meaningful visitor engagement.
Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect critically on the evolving role of presence, immersion, and embodiment in today’s museums.
The event is free to attend, but prior registration is required. Please register by 11 AM on Wednesday to secure your spot.
The workshop is scheduled for the 10th of October, 4 PM EET
We look forward to welcoming you to this thought-provoking session!
About the speakers
Maria Shehade is a Senior Research Associate at the Museum Lab of the CYENS Centre of Excellence and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Cyprus University of Technology. She holds a PhD and an MA in Cultural Heritage Management from University College London, as well as a BA in History, Archaeology, and History of Art from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Maria has worked on various research projects in the UK, Greece, and Cyprus, and has taught at several universities, including University College London, the University of Nicosia, Open University Cyprus, and the Cyprus University of Technology.
Her research focuses on heritage management, museology, cultural diplomacy, and cultural policy. She has been awarded scholarships and grants for her work from institutions such as the National Foundation of Scholarships of Greece, UCL Graduate School, and the Leventis Scholarship Foundation, which supported her doctoral research.
Currently, Maria’s research explores the use of interactive and emerging technologies in museums and heritage sites, with a special focus on enhancing visitor experiences. Her latest books include Greek Cultural Diplomacy: Current Approaches ─ Future Challenges (2021) and Museums and Technologies of Presence (2023), published by Routledge.
Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert is a Professor in the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) and leads the Museum Lab at the CYENS Centre of Excellence/CUT. Her research focuses on museum studies and visual sociology, with a particular interest in photography and new technologies.
She has published extensively on museums and photography. Some of her notable works include The Political Museum (Routledge, 2016), Museums and Technologies of Presence (Routledge, 2023), Museums and Emerging Technologies: Mediating Difficult Heritage (Berghahn Books, 2022), Museums and Visitor Photography (MuseumsEtc, 2016), Museums and Photography: Displaying Death (co-editor, Routledge, 2017), and Photography and Cyprus: Time, Place, Identity (co-editor, I.B.Tauris, 2014).
Theopisti holds a PhD in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester (UK) and an MA in Visual Arts/Museum Education from the University of Texas at Austin (USA). She has received several prestigious awards, including a Smithsonian Fellowship in Museum Practice (USA), a Fulbright Fellowship (USA), and an Arts and Humanities Research Council Award (UK). In addition to her academic work, she has also exhibited her artwork in several exhibitions in Cyprus and internationally.
The Cultural Mediation+ Workshops offer a series of practical meetings where working models, themes, tools, and inspiring projects are presented. The workshops take place online and are a satellite program of the Cultural Mediation Forum: https://bit.ly/47CYYkV.
The project is co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund and the Cluj-Napoca Municipality.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 739578
This project has received funding from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development