New Media District: Procese Afective

Denis Bolborea

Denis Bolborea is a multidisciplinary artist – performer, choreographer, musician, and sound designer – whose practice unfolds at the intersection of dance, voice, and technology. By combining contemporary dance techniques with influences from urban dance and a continuous exploration of the relationship between body and voice, Denis creates performative universes where languages blend and enhance each other.

In parallel with his choreographic activity, Denis is developing as a vocal soloist and beatboxer, exploring live looping and digital voice manipulation through his independent project, KABLAT. This project offers participatory concerts where music is created in real time through vocal interventions, interactive electronic equipment, and sound effects, bringing the audience into the role of co-creator.

Since 2016, Denis has been the co-founder of Indie Box, alongside Alexandra Bălășoiu, a development space for transdisciplinary projects such as Ear to Bucharest, Earsight, Danstopic, Singing Bodies Trilogy, and Mindmoving. Over the course of 10 years, he was a member of the a cappella group Blue Noise, with which he participated in numerous jazz festivals and collaborated with renowned artists such as Răzvan Suma, Adrian Despot, and Damian Drăghici.
Marsdelux is Denis’s latest project, in collaboration with Marina Arsene and Lucas Contreras. The trio explores the boundaries between jazz, improvisation, and electronic music, already appearing on important stages such as Green Hours and JAZZx Festival.

In his performances, the sounds produced 100% live, originating from a single voice, are passed through effects and a loop station, building complex sound layers. Denis Bolborea invites the audience on a musical and sensory journey where experimentation and play become essential tools for creation and connection.

Denis Bolborea is an innovative and multifaceted artist whose work blends various forms of artistic expression. His performances are a dynamic fusion of contemporary and urban dance, vocal techniques, and technological elements, creating immersive and participatory experiences for the audience. Through his diverse projects, Denis continues to push the boundaries of creativity and collaboration.

Andrei Botnaru

Andrei Botnaru is a visual artist who works with photography, video, interactive technology, and performativity in the theatrical realm. His experience spans the boundaries between projection and content playback, image creation, and manipulation. This requires technical knowledge balanced with design skills and a creative approach to problem-solving. The artist has developed his services working in creative industries. He understands how projection relates to photography or how live video playback pertains to video post-production methods. He comprehends acting and resolution, frame rates and aesthetics, exposure, and surface brightness. His artistic practice emphasizes the sensory experience by accessing not just our sensations and perceptions but also our knowledge and understanding of how the world functions. These are specializations in different fields, but for the artist, they are all integrated into how he works. Andrei graduated from the Faculty of Visual Arts and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the George Enescu University of Arts in Iași.

https://www.instagram.com/a_botnaru/

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Carina-Teodora Burghelea

Carina is a visual artist from Iași and a graduate of the “George Enescu” University of Arts, whose works explore the dynamics between the individual and society through an analytical and introspective perspective. For her, social topics represent the foundation of each project, aiming to study human interactions, tensions, and vulnerabilities, highlighting both the collective and personal dimensions of existence. Her personal projects extend into photography as well as video, becoming sensitive reflections on identity, emotion, and the relationship between personal and public space, offering the viewer freedom of interpretation.

Ana Călinescu

Ana Călinescu is an architect. She attended the G.M. Cantacuzino Faculty of Architecture in Iași and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et de Paysage in Lille, and is currently part of the Studio aPunct team, where she creates architecture and design with and for people. She enjoys weaving creative ideas and practicality into branches such as architectural installations, scenographic experiments, architecture and craft workshops, residencies, and artistic research in the performing arts sphere.

Ioan Daniel Dănilă

Ioan Daniel Dănilă is a passionate visual arts and design enthusiast, with a broad vision of the photographic medium and the audio-visual segment. Born on February 22, 1997, Dănilă is currently a third-year student at George Enescu National University of Arts in Iași, specializing in Photography, Video, and Computerized Image Processing.
From the outset of his university journey, Daniel set out to explore every aspect of his field of study with curiosity and passion. Although initially drawn to this faculty with a focus on photography, the discovery of his passion for the audio and video segment opened new horizons for him and redirected his exploration.
Throughout his years at university, Daniel has dedicated his efforts to perfecting his skills and knowledge in the audio-visual field. Currently, Dănilă aims to continue experimenting with the video medium, seeking to enhance his storytelling skills and discover the opportunities offered by this creative domain.

With an unwavering passion for art and creativity, Dănilă Ioan Daniel is determined to build a future where he leaves his mark on the audio-visual world, inspiring and captivating audiences with his innovative and captivating works.

Larissa Natalia Danilov

Larissa Natalia Danilov, known by the name LOV, is a multidisciplinary artist from Romania, working in the fields of multimedia art and performance in cities such as Brussels, Bucharest, Cluj, and Iași.
Her work explores the intimate connections between the artist and the viewer, creating immersive and interactive experiences. Under her alter ego LOV, Larissa aims to establish an authentic connection with the viewer, provoking a sensitive reaction through visual, sound, and tactile stimuli.
Her approach is scenographic, encouraging the audience to actively engage in the experience rather than simply observing. Larissa’s artistic movement is based on intense visual and physical contact with her media, bringing them into a tangible dimension.

Larissa is part of the artistic group Five o Shock, a collective of artists working in different mediums, collaborating to push boundaries and challenge the conventional through projects that question the norm. She has been a member of the Union of Visual Artists in Romania since 2018 and is a graduate of the “George Enescu” University of Art in Iași, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in graphics and a master’s degree in photo-video.

Dr0mp

Meet Dr0mp, a multimedia artist from Iasi, Romania, whose journey began in design before venturing into animation, VJ artistry, and new media. Specializing in interactive installations, Dr0mp explores the fusion of interactivity and audiovisual mediums. With appearances at events like Romanian Creative Week and collaborative exhibitions, his work delves into the dynamic interplay between interaction and feedback, offering viewers engaging experiences with depth and resonance. He is also the initiator of New Media Jam, a competition dedicated to artists, programmers, and enthusiasts in the field of new media.

Georgea Dura

Georgea Dura is a visual artist/sculptor from Iași. In 2008, she graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at the National University of Arts, George Enescu, and in 2011, she completed her master’s degree at the same faculty. She has been active on the artistic scene since 2005, participating in various exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events such as Afterhills, Rocanotherworld, Street Delivery, Romanian Creative Week or St.art Festival Bucharest.

Grafo

Since completing his visual design studies in Romania and U.K., Dragoș Păvăloi (aka Grafo) has been creating traditional art and new media, reflecting and exploring urban visual aesthetic and artefacts of the 20th century.

Decoding the semiotics of antennas, mast towers and other telecom lines, through a scientific research at the University of Staffordshire, led Dragoș to gain a deep fascination for such omnipresent structures. Loading the roof-scapes in urban settings with metal spike arrays and piercing the horizon in rural surroundings with massive frameworks, the art of Dragoș seeks to raise awareness of the invisible part that technology plays in our tech-driven society.

His work focuses on the dimension, scale, monotony and materiality of hidden-in-plain-sight “industrial sculptures” and modern communication infrastructures and their possible impact on human beings.

Grafo uses a cross-media approach to present the techno-culture hallmarks that empower the super-connected society.

Cătălin Marinescu

Cătălin Marinescu, born in Iași, Romania, is a visual artist, with an academic background from the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași, where he is currently pursuing doctoral studies. His artistic practice explores the intersections between unconventional artistic space and contemporary photographic practices, integrating photography, performance art, and multimedia installations to analyze how traditional arts blend with new technologies.
Active in the artistic and academic community, Cătălin is a constant presence at cultural events, participating in various exhibitions and visual art festivals both nationally and internationally. Notably, at the latest edition of Romanian Creative Week, he won the jury prize with his work “Punctum”. He seeks to create connections between personal and universal experiences, inviting the audience to partake in a visual journey. In each creation, Cătălin aims to convey profound concepts, stimulating both internal and external dialogue about the realities and infinite possibilities of our world.

Radu Marțin

Radu Marțin is a visual artist from Iași interested in visual mediums, generative technology, and performativity in the new media realm. A portion of his artistic practice is focused on the study of the human psyche in relation to technology, aiming to develop new visual expressions that engage with artistic perception. He graduated from the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, specialized in Photography and Video Art, where he participated in numerous group exhibitions. In 2021, he joined the group of artists Edge Mapping, collaborating on projects such as Ship of Fools and Fluid Memory, while also collaborating both nationally and internationally with various theaters. He has also been a constant presence at Romanian Creative Week since 2021.

Radu Marțín has collaborated as a VJ at events such as Cathedral, New Music Oasis, Rocanotherworld, Classix Festival, 174, Dubla, Charlie, Cubik, TechnoWall, etc.

Currently, Radu is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, Iași.

Marian Mihai

Marian Mihai graduated from the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, but also Mathematics and Computer Science in high school. He is passionate about art, but also everything related to science and technology and his artistic practice tries to explore the confluence between these two apparently incompatible fields, but which can elevate each other.

Lazar.imaginar

Lazar.imaginar (b. 1994) is an experience designer and professor in the Design program at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design. His works explore the intersection of design, art, and technology through gestural interaction, investigating sensoriality as a set of artificial senses. His installations propose a fluid and organic communication between the spectator, seen as a user, and the installation, perceived as a product. In this hybrid ecosystem, the interface becomes an essential element—a space of translation and fusion between physicality and the digital realm.

Noise Loop

The noise or the lack of signal: a discomfort to many, a chance for others. An offline based concept: disconnecting from the virtual and joining technology through socially engaged events. Escape the loop, embrace the #noiseloop.
Specialized in new media and theatre, digital interactive arts and future storytelling, video projection mapping and interactive installations, multimedia design and audio-visual programming, cinematic trailers production and motion graphics.

Raluca Andreea Orlanschi

Orlanschi Raluca Andreea (b. 2002, Iași, Romania) is a visual artist and multidisciplinary designer. A graduate of the “Mihai Eminescu” National College in Iași, Raluca discovered her artistic voice at an early age, initially experimenting with shapes and colors. What began as a playful exploration of vibrant hues gradually evolved into a fascination with black-and-white contrasts, leading her to embrace film photography, digital photography, spontaneous sketching, and videography. Her passion for these mediums grew organically, culminating in a creative process that seamlessly blends them into expressive visual narratives.

Having left her home country at a young age, she spent three years exploring the world, searching for a space where art could transcend mere expression and become a universal language. This journey ultimately led her to her dream: studying art in an environment that fosters experimentation and expands her creative horizons,at Malmö University in Sweden, where she continues her artistic exploration through a fusion of digital, visual, and sensory media.

For Raluca, art is more than a means of self-expression—it is a bridge that connects people, a shared space where emotions intertwine, distinct yet harmonious, forming a collective experience. Through color, light and shadow, irregular forms, and sounds that articulate what words cannot, she seeks to share fragments of her soul, inviting the audience to engage with and interpret them in their own way. Her artistic evolution has been a natural progression, and ultimately the synthesis of these elements into a cohesive and deeply immersive form of art.

For her, art is not just a means of communication; it is an essential part of her being.

Anton Petruț

Anton Petruț has been passionate about photography ever since he was a child. Although his professional path first led him to the technical fields, he graduated from the Technical University “Gheorghe Asachi” Iași and the Computer Science High-School “Grigore Moisil” Iași, currently he coordinates the iris photography dedicated studio – EYESSENCE.

His artistic practice, guided by the motto “Soul Revealing Photography”, aims to stop people for a moment and take them on a journey towards themselves, in the fascinating universe of their eyes.

Valentina De Piante

Valentina De Piante is a lecturer at the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, has a doctorate in performing arts, is a project coordinator, choreographer, performer, and practitioner of the Feldenkrais® method.
Since 2020 she has been a founding member of the Areal group and the Viu Grai Association.

Since 2017 she has worked intensively with Alexandra Bălășoiu – Indie Box – in creating performances and durational works, research residencies and residencies in schools, laboratories, and co-creations, such as: Moving [M]others, Bad Mamma (Singing Bodies’s Trilogy), Earsight, H.e.a.rt-Humans Embodying Art.

The choreographer seeks new formats that combine work, experience, and participatory engagement, addressing interdisciplinary themes in mixed creative teams. In 2021, she created the show “În căutarea corpului pierdut” (In Search of the Lost Body) with the Areal collective. In 2024, she is the coordinating choreographer of the Roots (Areal) project and a choreographer alongside her daughter, Silvia Niculae, as a visual artist in the intergenerational project Pina. In the same year, she works on the inclusive project Valences of Touch (EntuziArt), Body. Knowledge. Feeling (Noi Ne-Recreăm), and Somatic Freaks (Art No More). She was part of the DancebrainRehab project – an Erasmus+ training program, under the direction of Dr. Hanna Poikonen, where neuroscience studies are intertwined with new dance methodologies dedicated to vulnerable groups.
Her choreographies have been presented at the Explore Festival, the National Dance Center in Bucharest, Trois-C L in Luxembourg, the ImPuls Tanz Festival, in museums, urban spaces, and in nature.
Valentina gives lectures and workshops enriched by a body practice at Areal, Wasp Studios, in the European DanceBrainRehab project, Teaching The Teachers project, the Kinetic Center, and Universities in Cluj, Iași, and Târgu Mureș. She is also a guest professor in Erasmus+ projects (Teachers for Swans). She collaborates with the CNDB Dance and Performance Academy, Arhipera – Architecture at the Limit, Noi Ne-Recreăm, and Graphis 122.

In 2016, she was selected as one of the [8:tension] choreographers at ImPuls Tanz. In 2019, she received the CNDB award from the National Dance Center, presented by Professor Emeritus Raluca Ianegic, through the ‘Descentrat’ group. In 2020, she received the CNDB award as an independent artist. In 2021, she published her first book, “Corpul Cunoscător” (The Knowing Body), at the UNATC European Center of Excellence.

Currently, she is the co-artistic director of the Areal project C.R.E.S.C. – a network of creation, education, health, and research, a project co-financed by AFCN.

Ioana Rusu

Ioana Rusu is a visual artist from Iași. Her practice is experimental and has developed based on collage and post-photography. Fragmentations and recontextualizations transform into specific elements that migrate towards video or installation mediums. The human mind and everything it entails—the real and the imaginary, memory and impermanence—have become subjects through which she constructs her narrative. Another aspect of her approach is highlighting personal experiences and placing them within a broader social context.

She participates in numerous group exhibitions and projects for emerging artists such as Acasă la Hundorf, Accelerator Mentorat, Diploma Show, Romanian Creative Week, and Culture Moves Europe.

In this year’s edition, Ioana is also a member of the team The Thing, the winner of last year’s edition of New Media Jam.

Alexandru Radu

Alexandru Radu – choreographer and performer – shows a constant interest in experimentation, permanently searching for new experiences, whose working process is intense and creative. His creations address diverse and challenging choreographic themes. These include: DIE(T), RED LINE, Quantum Bodies, The Little Prince, Space-Soul-Second, and KARNAL. In 2023, at the 8th edition of the D-Butan-T festival, RED LINE won the special prize offered by Linotip – Independent Choreographic Centre.

Radu has also collaborated with directors to choreograph theatre performances such as: Silent Cehov – Octavian Jighirgiu, Three Sad Pieces – Radu Afrim, Theorem of the Infinite Monkeys, and IVAN – Antonella Cornici. Radu completed his bachelor’s studies in 2020, at the National University of Arts “George Enescu” Iasi, Faculty of Theatre, Choreography Department, and two years later he will complete his master’s studies in the same educational institution, Theatre Performing Arts Department. He is currently a freelance choreographer and PhD student in the “Doctoral School of Theatre” at the same University.

Alexandros Raptis

Born in 1989 in Greece, Alex Raptis works in the field of performing arts. His main areas of interest are theatre directing, lighting design, and musical composition. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from UNATC “I.L. Caragiale” in 2012, and then pursued a Master’s degree in Sound & Light Design from the same university. Since 2014, he has been creating lighting design or music for performances, jazz concerts, and theatre. His most recent directed play is “Străinul” (The Stranger) (after “Invocarea Farmecului” (The Invocation of Charm) by Y. Mavritsakis) at POINT. His newest projects for which he signed the lighting design are called DON QUIJOTE (dir. Baczó Tünde) produced by the Nottara Theatre in Bucharest, KOMOREBI and BESTIAR, produced by Vanner Collective and hosted by the National Theatre Bucharest and the Metropolis Theatre.

He lives and works in Romania, but is also involved in projects and tours in other countries. He makes electronic music and is a drummer in various shows. Currently, he is working on several interactive installations, trying to combine his passion for technology and sensors with sound and lighting design. His most recent audio-visual installation is called Tree of Light and was conceived within the Romanian Creative Week 2024

Andrei Cristian Scîntei

Andrei Cristian Scîntei is a visual artist from Iași, specialized in video and film. His practice is
based on artistic experiments using unconventional lighting. He graduated from the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, specializing in Photography, Video, and Computerized Image Processing, at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Photography and Video Art.

Dragoș Silion

As a Creative XR Developer, Dragos Silion is involved in various projects in fields such as art, tourism, and education through the ColorfulCoding team and the ArtLink application.

His expertise spans web and mobile development, extending to Oculus Quest, Microsoft HoloLens, and more recently, Apple VisionPro. Outside of work hours, he enjoys sharing knowledge through the internet, conferences, and workshops held at the Faculty of Computer Science.
In 2024 Dragoș Silion was part of the Chill Pill team, the winning team of the first New Media Jam (2023). The winning project was selected to participate in New Media District 2024. This year, Dragoș is present in the New Media District both with the work developed alongside visual artist Dr0mp, as well as being part of one of the three winning teams of New Media Jam 2024.

Alice Veliche

Alice Veliche – choreographer and performer – characterizes herself as energetic and creative. Alice tackles diverse themes in her productions, from familiar texts that she passes through her filter to personal concepts that do not follow a classic narrative thread. Her signature shows include RED LINE, Quantum Bodies, Asylum, FeMALE, The Little Prince and Space-Soul-Second. In 2023, at the 8th edition of the D-Butan-T festival, RED LINE won the special prize offered by Linotip – Independent Choreographic Centre.

Because her adaptability characterizes her, she has collaborated with several directors in the country in the choreography of some theatre shows: Forest of the Assumed – Andrei Măjeri, A Day of Joy – Radu Afrim, The Anthology of Disappearance – Radu Afrim, Masagge – Radu Afrim, Lysistrata, My Love – Zalán Zakariás. Alice completed her bachelor’s studies in 2020, at the National University of Arts “George Enescu” Iasi, Faculty of Theatre, Choreography Department, and two years later she will complete her master’s studies in the same educational institution, Theatre Performing Arts Department. She is currently a freelance choreographer and PhD student in the “Doctoral School of Theatre” at the same University.

Călin Ursuțu

Călin Ursuțu is a young artist from Suceava, a student at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, specializing in photo-video, at the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași.

Attracted to innovative modes of artistic expression, his practice is distinguished by themes of a psychological nature, such as the subtle intersection between inner experiences and artistic expressions, and the reflective representation of the self. He primarily works with installations, seeking novel ways of visual representation.

Participation in the exhibitions “Timeline” (Iași, 2024) and “Video.5” (Iași, 2025) highlights his passion for exploring and developing his artistic vision.