The *fest
What happens when a media lab becomes a meeting place?
For our 10th anniversary, iNOVA Media Lab is bringing together researchers, media professionals, creators, students and partners for a day and a half of conversations, experimentation and collective thinking.
Rather than reproducing the traditional conference format, the *fest combines participatory sessions, workshops, project showcases, experimental conversations, launches and informal encounters. The programme reflects what iNOVA Media Lab has been exploring throughout its journey: the intersection of digital media, emerging technologies, applied research, science communication, innovation, critical thinking and artistic experimentation.
As our motto says: 
But this is not only a celebration of the past ten years. It is also an invitation to think together about what comes next: What is a media lab today? What should it become? How can research, technology, media and creative practices respond to the transformations shaping contemporary society? For one and a half days, iNOVA Media Lab becomes an open space to meet, question, experiment, share unfinished ideas — and imagine possible futures.
Program
Preliminary programme · Speakers and timings may be subject to change.
Thursday · 15 October
13h30 | Check in
14h | Welcome Session 🇵🇹🇬🇧
14h30 | Circle Talks | Culture is Key
Session 1 | Culture reading 🇵🇹
Tiago Sigorelho | Gerador
Nelson Gomes | FLUL/ Trends and Culture Management Lab
Chair: William Cantú | UTAD
Session 2 | Keys to social change 🇵🇹
Catarina Gomes | Manicómio
Nuno Comando | Casa do Impacto
Chair: Dora Santos-Silva | NOVA FCSH/ICNOVA
15h45 [COFFEE BREAK]
16h15 | Projects like a PRO 🇵🇹
António Granado | 90s de Ciência
Rui Avelans Coelho | RED
Joana Ramalho | IA no jornalismo em Portugal
Ana Viseu | Autonomous Stores
17h30 | What is a media lab, anyway? 🇬🇧
Victor Flores | Early Image MediaLab Lusófona
Stephen Fozard | WAN-IFRA
Ana Marta Flores | iNOVA Media Lab
Chair: Ana Cecília B. Nunes | PUCRS/iNOVA Media Lab
18h15 | Trend Book Launch 🇵🇹
Raquel Sodré | Plot Content Agency
Pedro Miguel Coelho | Expresso
Clara Almeida Santos | provedora RTP/UC
Chair: Ana Marta M. Flores | iNOVA Media Lab
Friday · 16 October
9h30 | Check in
10h | Demo Day: projects showcase🇬🇧
Pedro Lucas | Beyond the Churchyard: Facebook as an Extended Site of Religious Celebration in the Azores
João G. Patrício | The Synthetic Thread: The Relationship Between Fashion Designers and Generative AI in the Creative Process
Arianna Mencaroni | Attachment / Detachment: Amateur and Home Movies Archives in the Digital Age
Isabella Moura | Open Data in Portugal: Observatory for Access to Local Information
Chair: Stefanie C. da Silveira | UFSC
11h15 | workshop 1 🇵🇹
Editar para existir: dar visibilidade a quem falta na Wikipédia
11h15 | workshop 2 🇵🇹
A Estética do Algoritmo: crítica da visualidade generativa
Assunção Duarte | ICNOVA
[LUNCH TIME] self catered
14h30 | One Open Chair 🇵🇹
Resistir, Informar e Formar Comunidade na Era da IA
🪑 Vanessa Batista | CML · Do arquivo à sala de aula
🪑 Rita Cêpa | IHA-NOVA FCSH/IN2PAST · Quem escolhe o que vemos?
🪑 You? 👀
Moderation: Marta Pinto | AI Goes to School
15h45 COFFEE BREAK
16h15 | Conversas à volta do livro Entre Dados e Poder 🇵🇹
Chairs: Ana Viseu, Rita Sepúlveda
17h15 | Lançamento Genarte.AI 🇬🇧
João Pedro Fonseca | coletivo Zabra
Steve MacKay | Arroz Estúdios
Chair: Carlota Portugal | Genarte.ai
18h | Encerramento
18h15 | Hora extra
Fail & Tell / Falha e Fala 🇵🇹🇬🇧
Register
Participation is free, but registration is required. Whether you work in research, media, technology, the creative industries — or are simply interested in the questions shaping digital culture — you are welcome to join the conversation. Places are limited.
Venue
Colégio Almada Negreiros
NOVA University Lisbon · Campolide Campus
Lisbon, Portugal
The iNOVA Media Lab 10 Years *fest will take place at Colégio Almada Negreiros (CAN), on NOVA University Lisbon’s Campolide Campus. The main activities will take place in the auditorium CAN 209, located on the second floor of the building.
Getting there
By Metro
Use Praça de Espanha — Blue Line or São Sebastião — Red Line, and continue on foot towards Campus de Campolide.
By Bus
Carris routes 701, 702 and 758 serve the Campolide area.
By Train
The campus can also be reached from Sete Rios or Campolide railway stations, with onward public transport connections.
By bicycle
The campus has bicycle parking and access to the GIRA bike-sharing network.
On weekdays, the Campus de Campolide can be accessed through Travessa Estêvão Pinto or Rua da Mesquita. NOVA FCSH’s current student guide lists these entrances and public transport connections.
Accessibility
The campus includes access for people with reduced mobility. If you have specific accessibility requirements, please contact us in advance so that we can help prepare your visit.
FAQ
Do I need to register?
Yes. Participation is free, but registration is required due to the limited capacity of the venues. You can register here.
Can I receive a certificate of participation?
Yes. Please indicate on the registration form that you would like to receive a certificate. Certificates will be sent electronically to the email address provided during registration after the event. The certificate will indicate the total number of hours of participation — approximately 10 hours, subject to confirmation in the final programme.
Will the event be entirely in English?
No. The *fest is designed to include different communities in the conversation, so the programme includes sessions in both English and Portuguese. The event’s main communication will be in English, but each activity in the programme is clearly marked [EN], [PT] or [PT/EN].
Who can attend?
The *fest is open to the academic community and the wider public.
Researchers, students, media professionals, journalists, designers, artists, technologists, cultural and creative professionals — and anyone interested in digital media and emerging technologies — are welcome.
Some workshops may have limited capacity. Any specific participation requirements will be indicated in the programme.
Are meals included?
Coffee breaks and welcome moments are included in the programme, but lunch and dinner are not included in the registration. Participants are free to organise their own lunch.
Contact
Questions? Talk to us.
For questions about registration, accessibility, the programme or participation: inovamedialab@fcsh.unl.pt
Lisbon, Portugal
design with ❤︎ by Ana Marta M. Flores at iNOVA Media Lab