15 July 2025

Prato Academy

Italy 15-17th July, 2025

SensiLab’s Dr Vince Dziekan will again be running the annual PRATO ACADEMY in Prato, Italy from 15-17 July 2025. The workshop will also include an optional Venice Biennale visit, 19-20 July 2025.

Now in its third year, the workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary community of researchers from across Monash University, the Institute for Digital Culture (University of Leicester, UK) and the Academy for Theatre and Digitality (Dortmund, GE) to explore new dimensions of practice research.

The programme has been developed in collaboration with the Monash University European Research Foundation and the Centro per’larte contemporanea Luigi Pecci.

Over 3 days of “nomadic” activities taking place across public spaces and cultural organisations in Prato, Italy, PhD students, postdocs, early-career researchers and academic supervisors will be provided with a unique opportunity to explore their understandings of culture, technology and social environments by forging playful connections between practice (i.e., disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary) and research (undertaken through different modes and for different purposes, i.e., creative, designerly, curatorial, experimental, investigative, etc).

Additionally, participants are invited to consider the option of visiting the Venice Architecture Biennale as an extension of the workshop programme from 19-20 July.

Participation by Monash-enrolled PhD students will count towards professional development training hours (International Research Engagement, 16hrs).

The workshop is offered free of charge, however attendees must self-fund their own travel*, accommodation and personal expenses.

For more information or to register an Expression-of-Interest in participating, please contact Vince Dziekan [vince.dziekan@monash.edu].

* Current Monash PhDs may be eligible for a Postgraduate Research Travel Grant.