WHAT IS SEMIOFEST?
A CELEBRATION OF SEMIOTIC THINKING
SEMIOFEST is a global conference for those curious about society, culture, and the ways they evolve. Promoting applied semiotics across both commercial and academic fields, it brings together leading thinkers from around the world. It provokes thought and meaningful perspectives on what may seem familiar or obvious.
SEMIOFEST PORTO 2024 Photography © Adoro Dias Felizes
PROGRAM
DAY 0
wednesday may 20
10:00–11:30
workshop
Applied Semiotics 101
Not included in the 2-day pass. Additional ticket required.
Chris Arning
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13:00–17:00
workshop
From Molecules to Meaning: How Biosemiotics insight can help us innovate for our changing world
Not included in the 2-day pass. Additional ticket required.
Noël Theodosiou,
Yogi Hendlin, Emanuela Bove
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DAY 1
thursday may 21
9:00–9:30
registration
9:30–9:45
welcome
9:45–10:40
key note
Select Wider: Biosemiotics and the Future of Sense-Making
Yogi Hale Hendlin
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10:40–10:50
tech break
10:50–11:10
Viscous Materiality
Synthetic nature: how brands communicate biomaterials across U.S.
Maximino Matus Ruiz, Akvile Amada Sataite
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11:10–11:30
Viscous Materiality
From Fluid Pattern to Sticky Icon: The Viscous Semiotics of the Vichy Checks
Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Clara Boudeau Dinant
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11:30–11:50
Viscous Materiality
Detergent Gel and the Viscous: Beyond Barthes, Toward a Material Semiotics
Giacomo Festi
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11:50–12:15
coffee break
12:15–12:35
substance of care
The curious case of mental wellness in digital India: navigating a viscous irony of thick centeredness and thin novelty
Rajan Luthra
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12:35–12:55
substance of care
The Suspension of Time: Viscosity and the Semiotic Fantasy of Eternal Youth
Asbjorg Dunker
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12:55–14:25
lunch
14:25–14:30
sticky ideas
Revert To Gender Type: How Old Feminine Ideals are Making a Comeback
Ashley Mauritzen
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14:35–14:40
sticky ideas
How Berghain Democratized Semiotics Better Than Semiofest
Ania Chyl, Ela Konopińska-Dudek
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14:45–14:50
sticky ideas
Sticky, Viscous Prices: The Method for Charging More That Only Semiotics Understands
Cameron Shackell
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14:50–15:15
coffee break
15:15–15:35
digital gooey
Heat moves fast and slow: How ‘hot takes’ shape our culture today
Nimesh Nambiar
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15:55–16:15
digital gooey
Viscous Worlds: Swamp Sublime, Jelly Ontology and the Afterlife of Metaphysics.
Jędrzej Kacper Latecki
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16:15–16:40
coffee break
16:40–17:25
(Newtonian) Ethics between solid and fluid
Semioethics Panel
Luca Marchetti
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17:25–17:45
closing plenary
20:00–22:00
SOCIAL DINNER
Not included in the 2-day pass. Additional ticket required (coming soon)
DAY 2
friday may 22
9:00–9:20
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
9:20–10:15
KEY NOTE
Computational Viscosity. How We Stick to AI and Why We Need a New Existentialism
prof. Michał Krzykawski
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10:15–10:30
Coffee Break
10:30–10:50
thick culture
Does viscosity have a past? Health through Historical Semiotics
Jessica Hamel-Akré
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10:50–11:10
thick culture
How Morals Move: A Viscosity Framework for Understanding Moral Force
Maitreyee Patki
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11:10–11:30
thick culture
TBC
11:30–11:50
thick culture
Game’s gone: a semiotic collision between modern football’s accelerated trajectory and the future no fan wants
Rafał Hydzik
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11:50–12:20
Coffee Break
12:20–13:50
Parallel Workshop sessions
Viscosity Test: How do cultural codes and themes “stick together”?
Joshua Glenn, Ramona Lyons
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12:20–13:50
Parallel Workshop sessions
Feel Viscosity: Unlock Intentional Innovation through Sensory Semiotics
Coco Wu, Megan Bourner-Powell
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12:20–13:50
Parallel Workshop sessions
Entangled Meanings: Quantum Leaps in Semiotic Thought
Klara de Wit
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13:50–15:50
lunch
15:50–16:10
Viscosity Applied
What Creates Semiotic Viscosity? Not All Signs are Created Equal
Chris Barnham
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16:10–16:30
Viscosity Applied
The Four-Phase Model: A Chinese Framework for Understanding Cultural Viscosity and Transformation
Jiakun Wang
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16:30–16:50
Viscosity Applied
Making Meaning Stick: How Semiotics Builds the Memory Structures Behind Byron Sharp’s “Mental Availability” and Explains Why Some Brand Cues Become Culturally Viscous
Sarah Johnson
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16:50–17:10
closing remarks
DAY 3
saturday may 23
10:00–13:00
tba
Client Bootcamp
Not included in the 2-day pass. Additional ticket required (coming soon)
TBA
14:00–16:00
tba
Social Activities
TBA
The programme above may still change before the final event
VENUE
KOMUNA WARSZAWA is a place where the city’s flows meet resistance, where movement becomes contact, and where interpretation has time to adhere. That is exactly why we are meeting here in May.
DISCOVER WARSAW
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WHAT IS VISCOSITY?
Viscosity helps us navigate complexity, uncertainty, and the messy realities of the present.
Let’s talk about NOW!
