Space to Space
1st International Conference on Design, Animation & Media
21 – 22 May 2026
CCDR Algarve
Faro, Portugal
About
Space to Space - 1º International Conference on Design, Animation and Media, will be featured in the 15th edition of the Algarve Design Meeting (ADM) in 2026, taking place in Faro - Algarve, Portugal.
Space to Space invites researchers, professionals, and students to submit peer-reviewed contributions that explore design as a bridge between physical, digital, and social spaces. The conference reflects on the relationship between ecology, technology, and coexistence in a rapidly changing world, considering design as both a practical and creative response to global challenges.
The theme unfolds across four interconnected dimensions:
- Space (Earth) – Physical spaces (environment, interiors, architecture, and furniture) focusing on sustainability, ecology, and circularity.
- Space (Human) – Social spaces (social design, communities, and inclusion).
- Space (Digital) – Digital spaces (animation, interaction, media, video games, immersive technologies and AI).
- Space (Cosmic) – Conceptual spaces (experimentation, fiction, imagining possible futures, and speculative design).
Organizing Commitee
General Chairs
- António Lacerda
- Cátia Peres
- Gabriela Borges
- Hugo Mártires
- Maria Caeiro
- Nuno Filipe Martins
Editorial Committee
- Cátia Peres
- Gabriela Borges
- Maria Caeiro
Credits
- Nuno Filipe Martins (Design and Art Direction)
- Gabriela Soares (Editorial Design)
- Pedro Calado (Editorial Design)
- Anastasiia Boichuk (Communication Design / Bolsa BIPE)
- Jorge Cristovão (Communication / Bolsa BIPE)
Logistic & Operations Committee
- Brígida Cardoso
- Manuela Roldão
- Rui Duarte
Scientific Commitee
- Adérito Marcos, University of Saint Joseph · Macau
- Álvaro Sousa, University of Aveiro · Portugal
- Ana Filipa Martins, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Ana Duque, ESAD (School of Arts and Design) · Portugal
- Ana Marques, European University · Portugal
- António Lacerda, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Bruno Mendes da Silva, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Cátia Peres, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Cynthia Levitan, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Daniela Garcia, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Isabel Carvalho, Universidade Aberta · Portugal
- Fátima Caiado, ISEC Lisbon · Portugal
- Francesca Vita, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Filipe Figueiredo — IADE - European University · Portugal
- Gabriela Borges, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Helena Barbosa, University of Aveiro · Portugal
- Hugo Mártires, University of Algarve · Portugal
- João Bernarda, European University · Portugal
- João Paulo Cunha, European University · Portugal
- João Paulo dos Reis e Cunha, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Juliana Duque – IADE- European University · Portugal
- Maria Caeiro, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Marisa Mártires, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Marta Varzim, ESAD (School of Arts and Design) · Portugal
- Luís Leite, Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ESMAD – School of Media Arts and Design) · Portugal
- Miguel Carvalhais, University of Porto · Portugal
- Mirian Tavares, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Mónica Lameiro, European University · Portugal
- Nuno Filipe Martins, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Patrícia Dourado, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Paulo Alves, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Pedro Mota Teixeira, European University · Portugal
- Pedro Ramalhete, University of Algarve · Portugal
- Rita Filipe, University of Lisboa · Portugal
- Tiago Navarro Marques, University of Évora · Portugal
- Selma Pereira, Universidade Lusófona · Portugal
Keynote speakers
Dennis Baptist
Audiovisual Design Across Performance and Media
Joseph Wallace
Handmade Fantasies
Nelson Zagalo
Creativity is not generating: it is stabilizing meaningSchedule
Welcome Desk – Conference enrollment at CCDR Algarve, Faro
Conference opening
Session 1 – Perspectives on Visual Design
Moderator: Gabriela Soares
- CAHI framework: Designing a care-aware bio-adaptive audio walking tours with wearables and geospatial inputs
Vladislav Shvedchikov - Stakeholder Ecosystems in a Girl-Centred Social Design Framework
Janka Csernák - When Alphabets Occupy Space: Spatial Typography as Cultural Infrastructure
Hala Georges - Can Design Save Lives? Exploring Vulnerability and Community Awareness in Graphic Design Education
Beatriz Rodrigues Correia, Tiago Navarro Marques - Between Screens and Reality – Digital Bias in Design Prototyping
Patrycja Kruk
Coffee break
Session 2 – Spaces and Design
Moderator: Daniela Garcia
- Spacetime: Courtyard Interventions at Historic Castle
Stanislava Švantner Troppová, Elena Farkašová - (Re)Imagining peripheral spaces: Marginal Cartography
Fernando Rodrigues Correia Vieira de Carvalho, Mónica Sofia Santos Mendes - Memories in the City: Designing a Participatory Instrument to Collect Memories Associated with Urban Art
Rita Mafalda Santos Gomes, Rui Manuel de Assunção Raposo, Álvaro José Barbosa de Sousa - Sovereign Mother: (In)Visible Heritage Convergences and narratives between digital media art and intangible cultural heritage
Andreia Pintassilgo, Maria Caeiro Guerreiro, Ana Soares - Design, Tourism and Culture: Visual Identities in the Construction of Cultural and Tourist Experiences
Maria Caeiro Guerreiro, Pedro Calado, Anastasiia Boichuk, Iasmina-Diana Pauliuc, Mariana Cruz, Sofia Barruncho
Lunch break
Presentation of the 3rd and 4th editions of Perspectives on Portuguese Animation
Cristina Novo, Cátia Peres, Cynthia Levitan
More InfoSession 3 – Aesthetics in Animation
Moderator: Cynthia Levitan
- Aesthetics in the animation process: an analysis on the case study Shadows, by Rand Beiruty
Cátia Peres - Expanded animation cinema and the memory
Margarida Ferreira - The Digital Image, Narrative, and the Transformation of Aesthetic Experience
Nuno André Mourisco Ferreira da Silva - The Return of the Gestural in Animation through Virtual Reality
Isabella Carolina Papa
Coffee break
Session 4 – Materiality in Animation
Moderator: Margarida Ferreira
- Animation as Interactive Feedback in Video Game Design: Impact on User Experience and Game Feel
Nuno Martins - (AI)mation – Human-AI Co-creation in rotoscoping processes for digital animation
Marcello Santos Ferreira, Maria Xavier Rodrigues - Between Materiality and Identity: The Creative Process in the Animated Film Pietra
Cynthia Levitan - Narrative Animation in Video Games: Design, Experience, and Player Engagement
Nuno Martins
Social programme – Cultural Visit: Moderno ao Sul
Presentation: Pedro Calado e Maria Caeiro
A tour of the city of Faro presenting spaces and works of the modern movement by architect Manuel Gomes da Costa.
Welcome Desk
Panel Discussion – Designing Digital Space: The Past, Present and Future of Videogames in Portugal
Moderator: Hugo Mártires
Coffee break
Session 5 – Dialogues between Art and Media
Moderator: Bruno Silva
- From Archaeological Space to Narrative Space: Transmedia Storytelling in Children's Museum Experience
Jaqueline Dulce Moreira - Aging and Domestic Space in Contemporary Horror Cinema
Giovana Vernilo Mendes - From algorithmic space to relational space: generative and interactive systems as post-digital ecologies
Pedro Alves da Veiga - Space, Attention and Automation: Critical Practices in Digital Environments
Carlos Miguel Gonçalves
Lunch break
Session 6 – Media and Communication Studies
Moderator: TBC
- Immigrants, Mental Health, and Disinformation: An Analysis of Instagram and TikTok Content from a Networked Social Capital Perspective
Andressa do Amaral Brum - PÁTRIAS Escape: Development of a Digital Game on Disinformation and Immigration as a tool for promoting media literacy
Sandra Ramos Cerqueira - On_Off: The disconnection experience of young university students
Gabriela Borges, Daiana Sigiliano - Audiovisual production, children's imagination, and aesthetic education
Teresa Cristina Rego - Illustration as Apparatus: Agency, Affect, and Image-Interfaces in video games
Amanda Borges Correia Lima, Hugo Passarinho
Coffee break
Session 7 – AI, Games and Digital Creativity
Moderator: Hugo Mártires
- From Rubber Keys to Prompts: Generative AI and "Vibe Coding" in the Creation of Retro Games for the ZX Spectrum
Marco Paulo Carrasco - SINCLAIR: Design and Media Contributions to the Democratization and Aspiration of Technology
Carla Allen Gomes, Bruno Couceiro, João Diogo Ramos - An Open Access Database of Friction Design Patterns
Fabrício Fava, Henrique Miguel, Pedro Cardoso, Miguel Carvalhais - Generative Visual Identities: Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Communication Design in Interactive Media
António Lacerda, Hugo Mártires - NaMars!!! jako zkušebna: design a generativní nástroje
Jakub Hrdina
Closing Space to Space Conference
Visit to the 15th ADM space
Thematic Areas
The “SPACE TO SPACE” conference at the Algarve Design Meeting 2026 showcases a wide range of design, animation and media disciplines, exploring the intersections between physical, social, digital, and conceptual spaces. The areas represented include:
Interaction and Experience Design
- Sensory and participatory installations
- Tangible interfaces and responsive objects (sound, light, movement)
- AR/VR experiences
- UX/UI projects focused on sustainability and accessibility
Interior and Spatial Design
- Experimental scenographies reinterpreting the industrial space of the Beer Factory
- Modular, ephemeral, or circular furniture
- Exhibition spaces emphasizing comfort, interaction, and flow
- Installations exploring light, materiality, and human behavior
Game and Interactive Media Design
- Independent games and educational prototypes
- Digital storytelling and game art with social or ecological impact
- Gamified tools for education and public engagement
Communication and Media Design
- Experimental graphic design, motion design, kinetic typography
- Visual campaigns on sustainability, ethics, and coexistence
- Hybrid experiences (physical + digital / AR)
- Event branding and visual identity systems
Digital Technologies and Media Art
- Media Art & Digital Media
- Transmedia & Digital Cinema
- Videomapping & Sound Art
- Visual Art & Media Literacy
Product and Furniture Design
- Prototyping with sustainable materials
- Circular or modular furniture
- Small-scale 3D-printed objects (PRUSA collaboration)
- Form–function experiments for exhibition spaces
Materials and Experimental Technologies
- Bio-design and reactive materials
- Studies on color, texture, and physical behavior
- Scientific research partnerships (UAlg, TUZVO, UTB)
- Process-oriented presentations
Social, Inclusive, and Strategic Design
- Projects with Algarve communities
- Participatory design and affective mapping
- Sustainable tourism, heritage, and education
Speculative Design and Futures
- Visual narratives and conceptual objects
- Critical design on AI, space, body, and ethics
- Applied academic research
Animation studies and Methodologies
- Concept design and animation aesthetics
- Animation studies and research methodologies
- AR/VR and expanded animation
- Stop motion and cinamatography
- AI-based animation
Communication Proposals
Authors may submit proposals in one of the following formats. The conference welcomes academic research, practice-based work, and experimental design approaches.
Submission Guidelines
- We invite submissions in Portuguese and English, authored by undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, as well as professionals from fields such as design, communication, media, arts, and culture.
- Abstracts must have between 1500 and 1800 characters (including spaces) and should be submitted in English.
- A maximum of five keywords should be provided in English.
- The biographical statement may not exceed 150 words and must be provided both in the original language of the article and in English.
- The registration payment will be made after the publication of the approved submissions, according to the calendar.
- If a contribution is approved, each co-author must register.
Publication
Full papers will be published in the official Conference Proceedings with ISBN and DOI number with all the texts selected by peer review.
Submission Guidelines
- Full papers must have between 20,000 and 25,000 characters (including spaces), covering all components: title in Portuguese and English, abstracts, descriptions, tables, graphs and captions, footnotes, and bibliographical references.
- The abstract should have between 1500 and 1800 characters and must be submitted both in the original language of the article and in English.
- A maximum of five keywords should be provided, both in the original language of the article and in English.
- The biographical statement may not exceed 150 words and must be provided both in the original language of the article and in English.
- Full papers will be submitted to a scientific peer review process in order to be published in a book to be edited by the end of 2026.
Text formating
- Body: single spacing on A4 pages, Times New Roman font, 12 pt.
- Graphic elements (tables, graphs and figures): all graphic elements and tables must be numbered with a caption, without a period. In the body of the text, references to graphic elements should always appear in full (e.g., “in Table 1”). Figures, tables and graphs must be inserted in the text and also sent separately in JPEG or TIFF format, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Tables must be provided in an editable format, not as images.
- Titles and subtitles: may be numbered to facilitate reading. They must use Times New Roman, 12 pt.
- Quotation marks: double curly quotes (“ ”) must be used. Quotation marks apply to ironic or figurative expressions, slang, quotations, and titles of articles or parts of publications (e.g., book chapters, encyclopedia entries).
- Italics: italics, rather than bold, should be used in the body text. Italics indicate titles of complete works (e.g., books, films), introduce new terms or loanwords, and highlight words or expressions requiring emphasis.
- Numbers: numbers from zero to nine should be written in words; numerals should be used from 10 onwards. Numerals must always be used in graphs, tables and figures; measurement units (e.g., 5 km); mathematical expressions, statistics, fractions, decimals, ratios and percentages; time, dates, scale points and exact sums of money. Numbers should be written in words when starting a sentence and in common fractions (e.g., “a fifth of the Portuguese”).
- Footnotes: may be used only when strictly necessary. Endnotes should not be used.
- Bibliographic references: must comply with APA style (7th edition).
- Template: texts must be submitted using the official template.
Important Dates
- Call for Papers: now open
- Abstract new submission deadline: 22 March 2026
- Notification of abstract acceptance: 30 April 2026
- Final abstract submission: 5 may 2026
- Conference dates: 21 – 22 May 2026
- Full papers submission: 30 August 2026
- Notification of full paper acceptance: 15 October 2026
Registration and payment
- Registration for participants (with or without a communication) must be completed through the registration form.
- Only registrations with confirmed payment will be validated.
- For a communication to be included in the conference programme, at least one author must be registered and have completed the payment.
- Certificates of participation will be issued only for communications presented during the conference.
- Approved communications will be included in the conference programme, and full papers will be published in a book containing the texts selected through peer review, with ISBN and DOI.
Attendance to the scientific papers of the Space to Space 1st International Conference on Design, Art and Media by students of the University of Algarve is free and free upon registration.
Payment Method
Payment for registration must be made by bank transfer.
Banking Information
- Institution: University of Algarve, School of Education and Communication
- IBAN: PT50 0035 0205 00011531730 15
- NIB: 0035 0205 00011 531 73015
- BIC / SWIFT: CGDIPTPL
After filling out the registration form, proof of payment must be sent to email
space2spaceconference@ualg.pt, with CC to eseccontabilidade@ualg.pt, indicating the name to whom the payment refers and the registration method.
Cases in which the participant needs an invoice with the NIF of the home university must be communicated by email.
* Implies the presentation of an updated proof of registration in the respective UALG master's or doctoral program.
Contact
Address
University of Algarve
School of Education and Communication (ESEC)
Estrada da Penha
8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Call Us
00351 289 800 100
