EXPAND
We are part of the new European EXPAND project, which explores and develops new forms of performing arts through extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI). The two-year project offers artists and producers the opportunity to experiment, learn, and develop digital performance practices in an international context. In addition to &, the consortium includes the French art and technology production agency Dark Euphoria and the Romanian Marin Sorescu National Theatre.
We invite emerging performing arts professionals and their producers to take part in a series of workshops for those interested in exploring the creative potential of XR and generative AI technologies in theatre. The workshops will take place in Espoo, Avignon (France), and Craiova (Romania) during 2026–2027. The open call is aimed at artist–producer duos based in Finland, France, or Romania who do not yet have prior artistic experience working with XR and AI tools.
EXPAND is funded by the European Union as part of the Creative Europe Programme.
EXPAND – Open call for emerging artists and producers in performing artsSIX DUOS SELECTED
We are excited to announce the six artist-producer duos selected for EXPAND – Empowering the Performing Arts with XR and AI Technologies.
Following an open call, we received 25 applications from talented and highly motivated performing arts professionals and producers across France, Finland, and Romania, all eager to explore the creative potential of XR and generative AI in theatre.
After a careful selection process, six duos – two from each partner country – were chosen for the strength of their artistic vision, the quality of their collaboration, and the relevance of their interest in immersive and emerging technologies.
We are thrilled to welcome the selected duos into this two-year long programme ; a transnational capacity-building programme taking place in Espoo (FI), Craiova (RO), Avignon and Cannes (FR), combining artistic discovery, hands-on experimentation, peer learning, and international exchange around XR and AI in the performing arts.
Next step is a kick-off meeting in Avignon, right before the event Performing Arts, Digital Stages (SVSN, July 8–9). Co-organized by Dark Euphoria and included in the professional programme of the Festival d’Avignon, this two-day event is entirely dedicated to the use of immersive technologies in the performing arts.
Erika Rustamova & Laura Jurmu (FI)
A virtual performance artist and a creative producer working at the intersection of digital scenography, media art, and socially engaged practice.
Sulo Rahman & Asko Halonen (FI)
Two performance-makers whose work connects theatre, identity, internet culture, and embodied technological dramaturgies.
Gérald Arev Kurdian & Fanny Testas (FR)
A transdisciplinary artist and a curator-producer working across performance, sound, digital art, and collective storytelling.
Emma Terno & Nikoleta Papadopoulou (FR)
A choreographer and performer joined by an AI engineer and creative technologist (working at French POC), bridging body, ritual, archive, and computation.
Maria-Luiza Dimulescu & Camelia Neagoe (RO)
A choreographer-performer and a cultural manager developing interdisciplinary dance and performance projects rooted in contemporary social concerns.
Tudor-Romulus Licu & Félix Poullet-Pagès (RO)
A stage director-playwright and a creative technologist exploring digital poetry, collective memory, and hybrid performance forms.
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