Speakers

PROF. DR. LEV MANOVICH

Lev Manovich is an artist, writer, and one of the most influential theorists of digital culture worldwide. He is currently a Presidential Professor of Computer Science at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center and the Director of the Cultural Analytics Lab. After studying painting, architecture, and filmmaking, Manovich began using computers to create digital art in 1984. He has played a key role in creating four new research fields: new media studies (1991-), software studies (2001-), cultural analytics (2007-) and AI aesthetics (2018-). Since 1991, he has published 190 articles that have been translated into 35 different languages and reprinted over 800 times. He authored and edited 15 books, including Artificial Aesthetics, Cultural Analytics, Instagram and Contemporary Image, Software Takes Command, and The Language of New Media, which has been called “the most provocative and comprehensive media history since Marshall McLuhan.” His projects have been exhibited in 12 solo and 122 international group exhibitions at many prestigious institutions, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art (London), the Centre Pompidou, The Shanghai Biennale, and The ZKM | Center for Art and Media.

Artist, Designer, Educator. Storyteller of Robot Poet Deniz Yilmaz. Bager’s artworks are exhibited in Ars Electronica, Todays Art and Transmediale festivals. He is the co-author of Programming Scratch for Kids, co-founder of Iskele47 Studio and co-curator of Istanbul Maker Faire. Bager is currently on the board of Amber Platform which hosts art and technology festivals since 2007 and Baska Bir Okul Mumkun NGO which works in the democratic school movement. Currently teaching in Todays Art History at Istanbul Mimar Sinan University and Marmara University and Programming for Puppeteers at Berlin Ernst Busch University and running an “Art Talk Show” at FLU TV.

Prof. Michael Schwertel teaches at the CBS International Business School in Cologne, where he covers media trends and innovations in digitalization. As a practical pioneer in the media, with experience in TV, film, the internet, games, and more, he has always been a few steps ahead of his time. With his background as a media entrepreneur, he combines economic perspectives with new theories, viewing them through the fresh lens of his students. Since 2007, he has been part of the nomination committee and jury of the Grimme Online Awards. Since 2019, he has been conducting workshops on text generation using Artificial Intelligence for journalists, marketing, and PR professionals.

Professor, producer, consultant. Nenad Perić is Full Professor of Social Sciences (Communications and Marketing) and Full Professor of Arts (Production of Arts, Arts Theory and Media and Advertising). He is BA, Spec, MA and MSc of Production of Culture, Arts and Media and PhD of Communications. He was a co-founder and the first Dean of the Faculty of Digital Arts of Metropolitan University and also the founder and the first Head of Department for Production at Union-Nikola Tesla University, both based in Belgrade, Serbia. Author of five books and more than 100 scientific articles. Producer of many exhibitions with focus on interactive design. Author of one interactive exhibition and co-author of one multimedia exhibition, founder of one annual multimedia exhibition. Also, he was a member or leader of numerous projects in culture, arts and media. Recently he has established scientific-professional journal culture-arts-creatıve sector where he is Editor-in-chief.

PROF. DR. NAZİFE GÜNGÖR

Professor, graduated from Ankara University School of Press and Broadcasting. She completed her master’s and doctoral studies at Ankara University Institute of Social Sciences. She started her academic life as a Research Assistant at Gazi University Faculty of Communication in 1991. In the 2000-2001 academic year, she was a visiting scholar at Manchester University in England as a scholarship of the Turkish Academy of Sciences. Between 2004-2008, she worked as Press and Public Relations Consultant at Gazi University Rectorate.

Güngör, who also served as the Head of the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of Communication between 2007-2010, retired from her faculty position at Gazi University in September 2011 and worked as a full-time faculty member and dean at Istanbul Arel University Faculty of Communication for a while. Nazife Güngör, who still continues her academic activities at Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, served as the Dean of the Faculty of Communication between 2013-2023. As of 2023, she was appointed as the Rector of Üsküdar University.  Güngör has copyright, compilation and translation books, various books, papers and articles in the field of communication.