xCoAx is an exploration of the intersection where computational tools and media meet art and culture, in the form of a multi-disciplinary enquiry on aesthetics, computation, communication and the elusive X factor that connects and characterises them all.
The focus of xCoAx is on the unpredictable overlaps between creative freedom and algorithmic rules, between human nature and machine technology, aimed towards new directions in aesthetics.
xCoAx has been an occasion for international audiences to exchange ideas in search for interdisciplinary synergies between computer scientists, artists, media practitioners, and theoreticians at the thresholds between digital arts and culture.
Starting in 2013 in Bergamo, xCoAx has so far taken place also in Porto, Glasgow, Bergamo again, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Graz, and online.
xCoAx 2022 will take place in Coimbra, Portugal, however, building on our experience of the CoViD-19 pandemic, part of the event will be made available online. We will closely monitor the evolving situation and more details will follow.
xCoAx 2022’s keynote speakers are Winnie Soon and Andreas Broeckmann
Conference Program
- Wednesday July 6: Doctoral Symposium, Opening Event, Opening of the Exhibition, Proceedings Launch.
- Thursday July 7: Paper Sessions with Q&A, Keynote with Q&A, Artworks and Performances Presentations, Performance Evening.
- Friday July 8: Paper Sessions with Q&A, Keynote with Q&A, Artworks and Performances Presentations, Closing Party.
Keynote: Winnie Soon

Winnie Soon is an artistic coder and researcher, working at the intersections of media/computational art, software studies, cultural studies and code practice, specifically concerning digital censorship, data politics, real-time processing/liveness, invisible infrastructure and the aesthetics of code. With works appearing in museums, galleries, festivals, distributed networks, papers and books, they are the author of two books titled Aesthetic Programming: A Handbook of Software Studies (with Geoff Cox) and Fix My Code (with Cornelia Sollfrank). Winnie is the co-initiator of the art community Code & Share [ ] and the co-editor of the Software Studies Book Series at MIT Press. They are Associate Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark. www.siusoon.net
Keynote: Andreas Broeckmann

Andreas Broeckmann is an art historian and curator who lives in Berlin. He is engaged in the DFG-funded research and documentation project Les Immateriaux Research at Leuphana University Lüneburg (2021-2024). He continues to teach at the Academy of Fine Arts, Leipzig (HGB – Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) where he was Visiting Professor for Art History and Media Theory (2017-2020). He was the Artistic Director of the Leuphana Arts Program (2011-2016), the founding director of Dortmunder U – Centre for Art and Creativity (2009-2011), and has curated exhibitions and festivals in major European venues, incl. transmediale and ISEA2010 RUHR. He holds a PhD in Art History from the University of East Anglia, Norwich/UK, and lectures internationally about the history of modern and contemporary art, media theory, and digital culture. He is the author of Machine Art in the Twentieth Century (MIT-Press, 2016). abroeck.in-berlin.de
Important Dates
- February 15: Extended submission deadline.
- March 27: Notifications to authors.
- April 30: Registration deadline for authors.
- April 30: Delivery of final versions of papers and artwork/performances/symposium abstracts for the proceedings.
- May 8: Delivery of final versions of multimedia files for the website.
- July 6: Welcome, doctoral symposium, opening of the exhibition, performance.
- July 7-8: Discussions of papers, artworks and performances.
- July 7: Performance evening.
- July 8: Closing party.
- July 9: Exhibition take-down.
Call for papers, artworks, performances
xCoAx 2022 calls for papers, artworks, performances and research works-in-progress by scholars, artists, performers and students, working on any of the multi-disciplinary facets of xCoAx.
You are invited to submit theoretical, practical or experimental research work that includes but is not limited to the following topics:
- Computation
- Communication
- Aesthetics
- X
- Algorithms / Systems / Models
- Artificial Aesthetics
- Artificial Intelligence / Creativity
- Audiovisuals / Multimodality
- Design
- Interaction
- Games
- Generative Art / Design
- History
- Mechatronics / Physical Computing
- Music / Sound Art
- Performance
- Philosophy of Art / of Computation
- Technology / Ethics / Epistemology
Submission Categories
Papers: Please submit a paper (3.000 to 6.000 words, excluding references) following the formatting in the Word template. Revision of papers will be double-blind. Please make sure that the PDF file is completely anonymised (i.e. omits author-related information in the body of text or as explicit self-citations, notes and bibliography). Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings and authors will hold a 15-minute presentation at xCoAx 2022.
Doctoral Symposium Abstracts: Only Master’s and PhD students can apply to present their work-in-progress and receive feedback from established researchers. Submit a document, following the formatting in the Word template, comprised of a research paper and a letter of support from your advisor (700 to 2.000 words, excluding references) that should include the following: 1) Purpose of the research and its importance to the field; 2) Brief survey of background and related work; 3) Description of the proposed approach; 4) Expected contributions; 5) Progress towards goals. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. A revised version will be requested for inclusion in the proceedings after the symposium. Previous xCoAx Doctoral Symposia were chaired by Frieder Nake, Mario Klingemann, Philip Galanter, Angela Ferraiolo, Simona Chiodo and Marko Ciciliani. The Doctoral Symposium will take place online and it will be a closed event.
Artworks: Proposals should provide a clear description of the work (in case of online artworks possibly a link to the artwork itself) in the form of a document including the following:
- An abstract of maximum 200 words
- A main text of 700 to 2.000 words (excluding references)
- An appendix with technical details of the artwork
- Another appendix with references to multimedia material on the artwork
The document must follow the formatting in the Word template. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. All accepted works will be allotted a 7-minute presentation time at the conference and will be part of the exhibition. The proceedings will publish the abstract, the main text, and one image of the artwork provided by the authors. Should the circumstances and the logistics of xCoAx 2022 change due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, an alternative solution (online or hybrid) will be proposed by the Organising Committee.
Performances: Proposals should provide a clear description of the performance in the form of a document including the following:
- An abstract of maximum 200 words
- A main text of 700 to 2.000 words (excluding references)
- An appendix with technical details of the artwork
- Another appendix with references to multimedia material documentation on the performance
The submission document must follow the formatting in the Word template. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. Accepted performances will be allotted a maximum of 30 minutes on stage during the performance night or at the opening event. For all accepted works, the abstract, the main text, and one photographic image of the performance will be published in the proceedings. Should the circumstances and the logistics of xCoAx 2022 change due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, an alternative solution (online or hybrid) will be proposed by the Organising Committee.
Additional information and submission details
- All works must be submitted via EasyChair;
- Submissions must be original and will be rigorously reviewed by an international and multidisciplinary scientific committee, in a process that will assess originality, relevance, artistic and technical achievements;
- Submissions should be presented as .pdf files with all the media files embedded or linked to online resources;
- Final versions for publication should be delivered in .docx with all the images and other media files attached as independent files;
- All images and media assets must be cleared for publication by the authors;
- At least one of the authors of each selected contribution must register to the conference before the first author registration deadline in order for the work to be published in the proceedings;
- xCoAx’s working language is English;
- xCoAx’s conference proceedings (with ISBN) will be published online with free access;
- Please contact the program chairs at info@xcoax.org with any questions regarding submissions.
Registration
For each accepted submission, one author will have to register as below before April 30.
- Author registration: € 200
- Reduced registration: € 75 (for authors without academic affiliation and general audience)
- Doctoral symposium: € 75
- Attendance to the online portion of xCoAx 2022 is free and does not require registration
Please register through EasyChair.
Travel
Coimbra is located in central Portugal, 120 km south of Porto, 195 km north of Lisbon, 40 km east of the seaside city of Figueira da Foz. One of Portugal’s biggest crossroads, Coimbra is served by the A1, the main highway of Portugal, and by train services. Those travelling from outside the Iberian Peninsula will probably fly to Lisbon or Porto, from where train connections to Coimbra are regular, fast and reliable. Both airports have direct flights to a large number of international destinations and are served by low cost airlines.
xCoAx 2022 will be held at Convento São Francisco, the major congress and cultural centre of Coimbra, as well as a crucial element in Coimbra’s architectural landscape. Situated on the left side of the Mondego river, it started as a convent in the early 17th century and worked as a wool factory between 1888 and 1980. Coimbra Municipality bought the building in 1986 to begin a renovation process that led to the creation of a congress and cultural centre.
Performances will be presented at Salão Brazil, located in the heart of Coimbra’s historical centre. The concert hall is on the first floor of a building that dates back to the early 20th century. In recent years, Salão Brazil has been an essential venue for genres such as jazz, free improvisation and experimental music.
Scientific Committee
- Adriana Sá ESAD/CICANT
- Alessandro Ludovico Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton / Neural
- Alice Cannava Technische Universität Berlin / Occulto Magazine
- André Rangel CITAR / i2ADS / Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto
- Andreas Broeckmann Leuphana Arts Program, Lüneburg
- Andreas Muxel Faculty of Design at University of Applied Sciences Augsburg
- Anna Terzaroli Nicola Sala Conservatory of Music
- Anne Balsamo University of Texas at Dallas
- Anneke Pettican Department Lead Art & Communication, University of Huddersfield
- Astrid Drechsler Sound Design, FH Joanneum, University of Applied Sciences
- Birgit Bachler Information Design, FH Joanneum, University of Applied Sciences Graz
- Boris Debackere V2 / Luca School of Arts
- Catarina Maçãs University of Coimbra
- Chara Lewis Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Christian Faubel Academy of Media Arts Cologne
- Cristina Sá CITAR / Portuguese Catholic University, School of Arts
- Dale MacDonald University of Texas at Dallas
- Daniele Pozzi Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz
- Daniel Irrgang Weizenbaum Institute / Berlin University of the Arts
- Daniel Schorno STEIM
- Darko VelazquezBauhaus Form + Function Lab, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
- David Pirrò Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz
- Filipe Pais Ensadlab, Ensad, Paris
- Francisco Cardoso Lima Independent Artist, Aveiro
- Frieder Nake University of Bremen & Hochschule für Künste Bremen
- Gerhard Nierhaus University of Music and Performing Arts Graz
- Hanns Holger Rutz Independent Artist
- Heitor Alvelos ID+ / Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto
- Jason Reizner Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
- Jia-Rey Chang archgary.com / Art & Design Department, University of Delaware
- Ji Youn Kang The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague
- Joanna Zylinska Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London
- João Cordeiro CITAR / University of West London
- Johannes Zmölnig University of Music and Performing Arts Graz
- Jon He Massey University
- Jon McCormack Monash University
- Jung In Jung InGAME, Abertay University
- Kristin Mojsiewicz Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh
- Laura Beloff School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Aalto University
- Luc Döbereiner Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics, University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz
- Luísa Ribas CIEBA / Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon
- Manuela Naveau Ars Electronica
- Marko CicilianiInstitute of Electronic Music and Acoustics at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz
- Mario Verdicchio Università degli Studi di Bergamo
- Martin Kaltenbrunner Kunstuniversität Linz
- Martin Rumori sonible GmbH
- Martin Zeilinger Abertay University
- Max Hampshire Independent Researcher & Artist
- Miguel Carvalhais INESC TEC / i2ADS / Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto
- Michael MarkertHochschule Coburg
- Mitchell Whitelaw College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
- Nathan Wolek Stetson University
- Nuno N. Correia Tallinn University
- Patrícia João Reis University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria, Department of Digital Arts
- Pedro Cardoso University of Aveiro / DigiMedia
- Pedro Martins University of Coimbra
- Penousal Machado University of Coimbra
- Philip Galanter Texas A&M University
- Ricardo Melo Fraunhofer Portugal Research Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions (Fraunhofer AICOS)
- Rodrigo Hernández-Ramírez UNIDCOM / Instituto de Arte, Design e Empresa (IADE)
- Ron Kuivila Wesleyan University
- Rosemary Lee Independent Researcher & Artist
- Rui Penha ESMAE / CESEM
- Rui Torres Electronic Literature Organization / Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto
- Samuel Van Ransbeeck UCP-CITAR
- Sophie-Carolin Wagner Austrian National Library / RIAT
- Shusha Niederberguer House of Electronic Arts Basel
- Søren Pold School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
- Tim Boykett Time's Up
- Trent Kim University of the West of Scotland
- Valentina Vuksic Zurich University of the Arts
- Valerie Wolf Gang
- Veronika Mayer Freelance Artist and Lecturer
- Victoria Bradbury University of North Carolina, Asheville
- Visda GoudarziSchool of Media Arts at Columbia College Chicago
- Winnie Soon Department of Digital Design at Aarhus University
About Us
Organising Committee
Past Organisers
xCoAx Proceedings
Proceedings Editorial Board