From September 17–19, 2025, the international symposium INTERFACEing 2025 took place at Doğuş University in Istanbul, co-organized by Prof. Dr. Barış Çoban (Doğuş University, Turkey) and Associate Prof. Dr. Charlène Clonts (Kyushu University, Japan), within the international network INTERFACEing (National Taiwan University, Taiwan) and in relation to the Well-Being with Arts research project (Kyushu University, Japan). The event brought together 50 researchers from 20 countries (pictures below), fostering rich interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue on the role of embodied experience, emotions, and creativity.

The conference explored how artistic and scholarly practices serve as interfaces, bridging bodies, histories, technologies, and communities, especially in contexts of trauma, transformation, and care. The sessions were organized around several key thematic clusters:

Key Themes

1. Embodied Cognition & Classical Texts
Explorations of ancient literature and drama through the lens of embodied imagination, empathy, and emotional resonance.

2. Affective Self-Perception & Bodily Creativity
Presentations on somatic practices such as dance, drawing, and yoga as methods of self-formation, creative agency, and emotional modulation.

3. Gender, Discomfort & Resilience
Discussions on feminist protest music, embodied discomfort in interaction design, and narrative corporeality in dystopian literature.

4. Movement, Nostalgia & Memory
Reflections on emotional and physical movement in literature and film, and its role in shaping collective memory and identity.

5. Creative Expression, Emotions & Healing
Sessions on art as a tool for emotional recognition, affective writing, and performance as environmental and therapeutic practice.

6. Arts, Conflict Zones & Trauma
Research on embodied resistance in Iranian performance art, grief as decolonial practice in Palestine, and post-conflict body-mind frameworks for peacebuilding in Eastern Europe.

7. Interfaces in Digital & Visual Creativity
Talks on embodied creativity in fan videos, poetic voice in the age of AI, and activist mini-games designed to foster emotional resilience.

The Well-Being with Arts Project: Goals & Vision

The Well-Being with Arts project, based at Kyushu University, explores how artistic practices can support mental health, emotional resilience, and collective care in diverse educational and social contexts. Through interdisciplinary collaborations and fieldwork in Japan, Turkey, and beyond, the project investigates the impact of embodied creativity on well-being, particularly among academics.

The conference opened with a keynote speech titled “Well-Being with Arts”, delivered by Charlène Clonts, as co-organizer and project leader. This talk introduced the conceptual foundations and aspirations of the conference and the project, emphasizing the importance of integrating artistic approaches into academic and public life to foster inclusive, sustainable, and emotionally engaged communities.

INTERFACEing 2025 provided a unique opportunity to share this vision and connect with researchers working on related themes. The event also helped lay the groundwork for future projects.

Looking Ahead

The energy and openness of INTERFACEing 2025 reaffirmed the importance of creating spaces where humanities and empirical sciences meet to address pressing societal challenges. We are grateful to all participants and partners for their contributions and look forward to continuing these conversations through future publications and collaborative projects. The proceedings are planned: we will let know later on about it.