HAMLET at “Think Inside the Box” (IMPULSE Pre-Hackathon): 3 sessions on XR, AI, and future skills

HAMLET is featured in Think Inside the Box, an IMPULSE Pre-Hackathon focused on creating immersive experiences with digital cultural heritage (10–12 February 2026, co:hub Saarbrücken, with online participation options).
Across the programme, HAMLET contributes three complementary activities that connect artistic practice, research, and skills development around XR and AI.

1) Webinar / Online panel: “AI’s the Thing — Immersive futures in Dance and Performance Research (A HAMLET Living Lab)”

When: Wednesday, 11 February 2026, 14:00–15:30 CET
This panel brings together HAMLET practitioners and researchers to explore how immersion is evolving in dance and performance—considering space, movement, embodiment, storytelling, and questions of authorship/agency when working with intelligent systems.
Speakers include: Joumana Mourad (IJAD Dance Company), Francesco Cutillo (ICK Dans), Dr. Andreas Aristidou (CYENS), Dr. Marina Stamatiadou & Dr. Nikolaos Vryzas (AUTH).
Link: https://www.xmlab.org/research-2024/research-reader/AIs-the-Thing-Immersive-futures-in-Dance-and-Performance-Research-A-HAMLET-Living-Lab

Image credit (as provided):
Prologo d’Entrata – NOUS, le RADEAU / WE, the LUST by Emio Greco | Pieter C. Scholten, performed live by dancer Victor Callens, Philharmonie de Paris, 2024. Photo © Alwin Poiana.

2) “Future Creative Endeavors” — student results & visualisations (HAMLET-linked)

Presented within the hackathon framework, Future Creative Endeavors showcases selected visualisations developed in the context of HAMLET, foregrounding process (roles, steps, stakeholders, forms of intelligence) behind future creative production—across posters, film, animation, and interactive media.
Participating artists/designers: Mengzhu Wang, Melih Aksoy, Leon Schumacher.
Link: https://www.xmlab.org/research-2024/research-reader/Future-Creative-Endeavors

Image credit (as provided):
Future-Creative-Endeavors (left to right: “Redefine Reality” by Mengzhu Wang, “Anamnese” by Melih Aksoy, “Virtual Experience” by Leon Schumacher). Photo: Mert Akbal. Location: Think Inside the Box Hackathon, co:hub Saarbrücken, 2026.

3) Hackathon challenge: “Building Future Agency — When XR meets AI”

As part of the hackathon challenges, HAMLET contributes Building Future Agency: When XR meets AI (Owners: Mert Akbal | Sónia Alves).
The challenge links XR use-case development with learning-journey design, drawing on HAMLET approaches (including the Generative Arts & Design Lab / HBKsaar) and related work, with outcomes such as prototype use cases and tailored learning journeys for teams implementing the co-created XR concepts.
Event page: https://k8.design/think-inside-the-box/

Call to action (CTA)

• Explore the programme and challenges: https://k8.design/think-inside-the-box/
• Join the online panel (registration link on the session page): https://www.xmlab.org/research-2024/research-reader/AIs-the-Thing-Immersive-futures-in-Dance-and-Performance-Research-A-HAMLET-Living-Lab