Group members
 Lily Díaz Professor |
Currently I am a professor and leader of the Systems of Representation research group in the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Media Lab. My research interests include: Design education, information technology, and representation from the perspective of humanistic disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, history, and visual culture. I am interested in the use of computing devices for the creation of new intellectual and spiritual spaces and activities.I have an educational background in cultural anthropology (Brandeis University, BA with honors), computer art (School of Visual Arts, MFA.) and new media design (University of Art and Design Helsinki, DA). My work experience in the field includes assignments such as: photographer, audio-visual specialist and head designer in multimedia projects.As an educator, I have been at the Media Lab Helsinki since 1995 where I developed and teach in the visualization (or Dynamic Visualisation, an area of studies) for the Master of Arts program at the Media Lab Helsinki. Since 2004, I have coordinated the Doctor of Arts program at the Media Lab and currently I am the Head of Research in the Department of Media.My art and design work has been published in journals such as Flash Art, Leonardo, LAPIZ, Revista Internacional de Arte, and Computer Graphics. In addition I am a regular contributor to conferences and forums in the areas of design, digital cultural heritage and information technology.
I have a blog that you can visit here, Lily’s blog. |
 Markku Reunanen Senior university lecturer |
Senior university lecturer Markku Reunanen entered Media Lab Helsinki in 2001 as an MA student and after his graduation in 2005 he remained at the lab as the lecturer of interactive visualization. His background is in software science, usability, communication technology and virtual reality (VR). His doctoral thesis, Times of Change in the Demoscene – A Creative Community and Its Relationship with Technology was, however, in the field of digital culture. Apart from the Media Lab he has worked at Tampere and Helsinki Universities of Technology as a researcher in virtual reality related projects, and holds the title of docent in digital culture at University of Turku. His current responsibilities include mainly teaching, administrative tasks, and research when time allows. Markku is currently an affiliate of the Academy of Finland funded Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. |
 Samir Bhowmik Post-Doctoral Researcher |
Samir Bhowmik is an artist, architect and researcher. He is currently engaged in artistic projects in Helsinki and Berlin dealing with new media, energy and cultural memory. Samir’s research at Aalto University, Finland and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin examines infrastructural and energetic entanglements of memory institutions. Samir graduated as a Doctor of Arts in New Media from the Aalto Media Lab and holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland, United States. His artistic, teaching and research practice focuses on media, cultural infrastructures, architecture and digital memory. He is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation since 2017. Research: samirbhowmik.cc/ |
 Neha Sayed Doctoral candidate |
Basically an Architect from Mumbai, India, I have done a combination of architectural practice, academic teaching and research. I did my post graduation in Experience Design from Konstfack, Stockholm in 2009. In my architectural practice, I worked mostly on the hospitals and clinics where the elements of space were interfaces for varied embedded technologies. The design of these interfaces was iteratively done and appropriated for the specific culture. This led me to persue a research on possible adoptations of embedded sensor driven technologies in the societies that are culturally diverese. Currently I am writing my doctoral thesis which addresses this question in the Systems of Representation group under the guidance of Lily Diaz-Kommonen. |
 Cvijeta Miljak Doctoral candidate / Researcher |
I am a designer, artist and a researcher. My background is in visual culture encompassing graphic design, photography, new media and moving image and going further back, in linguistics and literature. I am a design graduate from University of Zagreb, Faculty of Architecture, School of Design (1998) and I hold a MA degree in graphic design, with minors in new media (Dynamic Visual Design, Interactive Storytelling and Games and Storytelling), from University of Art and Design Helsinki (2009). I have worked for more than two decades as a freelance designer, photographer and a video maker mainly in cultural and academic environments. My ongoing practice-based doctoral research, supervised by Lily Díaz-Kommonen, in the emerging field of virtual museology focuses on developing novel solutions of exhibition documentation and addressing creative participatory practices and community involvement. My work in the Systems of Representation research group includes coordination of the Beyond Matter – Cultural Heritage on the Verge of Virtual Reality MA Fellowship Programme. |
 Gautam Vishwanath Doctoral candidate / Researcher |
As a media designer from Bengaluru in India, my background encompasses game design, cinematography, and mixed media works of varying genres. My primary specialization is in Game Design and Production, having acquired a Master’s degree at Aalto University’s Department of Media in 2019. Since then, I have worked on numerous game projects dealing with serious games, gamification as well as new mediums such as virtual and augmented reality. Some of the themes for these games and media works include political conflicts, climate change, folklore, and phobias. Eventually, these interests have led me to pursue doctoral research with the Systems of Representation group focusing on the application of aspects of serious games within a mixed reality environment in order to support interaction and engagement with digital cultural heritage. This research is under the guidance of Lily Diaz-Kommonen and in coordination with the EU funded Horizon 2020 project dedicated to citizen curation of museums and cultural heritage: https://spice-h2020.eu/. Some of my own works can also be examined in detail here: https://wearywitness.com/. |