Dubai Culture unveils ISEA2026 Online Academic Programme featuring 145 papers and more than 50 artist talks and panel discussions

Dubai: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has unveiled details of the academic programme for the 31st International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art (ISEA2026), taking place in Dubai from 6 to 15 November under the theme ‘ELYAH: Constellating Place, Data, and Identity’. Organised by Dubai Culture in partnership with Zayed University, the symposium will explore the intersections of art, science and technology and examine the future of electronic arts. Set to be the largest edition in the symposium’s history, ISEA2026 reflects Dubai Culture’s commitment to advancing its Digital Arts Roadmap, supporting creative talent and expanding opportunities for learning, research and innovation. The event also supports Dubai’s ambition to strengthen its position as a global centre for culture and creativity, advance its creative economy and encourage innovation rooted in Emirati heritage. The symposium will feature opening remarks by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture). The event will also feature welcome remarks by Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, alongside keynote addresses by prominent international figures in art, technology and academia. Bringing together leading artists, thinkers, practitioners, academics and specialists from around the world, ISEA2026 will feature an in-person Artistic Programme showcasing more than 100 artworks, including installations, performances and visual experiences at venues across Dubai. The Online Academic Programme will complement these activities with research presentations, discussions and opportunities to exchange knowledge and expertise on emerging trends in electronic arts. It will feature 145 academic papers, more than 50 artist talks and panel discussions, over 10 workshops, more than 45 workshops, panel discussions and presentations across the Special Tracks, seven Eco Lab workshops and over 20 institutional presentations. The extensive programme reflects the symposium’s international reach and the diversity of its participants, bringing together perspectives from different cultures and disciplines. Hala Badri highlighted the symposium’s importance as a global platform for exchanging knowledge and expertise, strengthening collaboration and exploring new possibilities in electronic arts. She said: “Guided by the vision of its leadership and its forward-looking ambitions, Dubai continues to strengthen its presence on the global creative map, reinforcing its position as a leading destination for talent and a centre for artistic dialogue and exchange.” Badri added: “Hosting ISEA2026 reflects the emirate’s ability to attract creatives from around the world, as well as its commitment to supporting innovation and creating an enabling environment where artists can explore the possibilities of technology and harness its potential to develop distinctive artistic experiences that enrich the creative landscape and contribute to the growth of the cultural and creative industries.” She also highlighted the symposium’s role in strengthening connections between art, science and technology, encouraging partnerships between local and international creative institutions and advancing artistic practices that make the arts more accessible to different segments of society. International speakers The symposium will feature keynote presentations by internationally renowned figures in art, thought and technology, including Katherine Hayles, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and James B. Duke Professor Emerita at Duke University; and Shuddhabrata Sengupta, artist, writer, curator and co-founder of India’s Raqs Media Collective, whose multidisciplinary work explores the intersections of contemporary art, technology, history and urban culture. The Online Academic Programme will begin on 6 November with discussions and workshops across its Special Tracks, followed by the core academic sessions from 10 to 14 November. The programme is structured around four themes: ‘Celestial Dialogues’, ‘Charting Constellations’, ‘Eco-Tech Futures’ and ‘Starlinked Worlds’. Together, they will explore relationships between place, memory, identity and emerging technologies, alongside environmental responsibility and the future of human interaction in the digital world. Four core themes Under ‘Celestial Dialogues’, discussions will examine how digital media can offer new interpretations of cultural heritage and approaches to storytelling and creative expression. Suheil Dahdal’s paper, ‘Speculative Archiving: Digital Re-inhabitation and the Seamless Fusion of Fact and Fiction in Khaled & Nema’, will explore the relationship between digital filmmaking and cultural memory. Maya Sarfaty’s ‘The Body as Translator: From Movement Improvisation to Typographic Action in an Embodied Translation Model’ will examine how movement can be translated into