Talks With Creatives & The Citizen Dialogue in Karlskrona

From July 29 to 31, 2025, Karlskrona became a creative place for the Citizen Dialogue during the city’s Archipelago Festival. The event brought together people from business, schools, and the local government, as well as international artists, local creators, tech experts, and the public. They explored the connection between art, technology, and business (Tech, Art & Business – TAB).

The Citizen Dialogue in Karlskrona was part of a three-year, three-country project that also included Szczecin, Poland (2024), and Germany (2026). The goal was to start a conversation that brought together a wide range of participants, including professionals, emerging artists, students, companies, and community members. They discussed our changing relationship with “phigital environments,” which are the blended spaces where our physical and digital lives meet.

Blue Science Park led this project, collaborating with key partners like Karlskrona Municipality, Hyper Island, Blekinge Institute of Technology, BePart Movement, The Arts Dot, and Konst i Blickpunkt. Visitors enjoyed a variety of programs that challenged traditional views of art. This included large digital exhibitions with animations and 3D models, Augmented Reality (AR) installations that enhanced the city’s World Heritage sites, and a major international exhibition of physical artwork.

Discussion on how Citizen Dialogue engaged digital artists to connect art with local communities. Szczecin and Karlskrona cases with Yvonne Walther (Karlskrona municipality, Sweden), Giovanni Franchina (Bepart – The Public Imagination Movement, Italy) and Monika Klein (Poland).

The core of the Citizen Dialogue was the two-day “Creative Talks,” a dynamic forum designed to spark dialogue, share knowledge, and build new bridges. The event brought together over 25 keynote speakers and experts from across Europe—including the South Baltic region, Great Britain, and Italy—to share international perspectives with Karlskrona. The Creative Talks took place at the Karlskrona Blue Port Studios.

The sessions focused on how creative acceleration processes can strengthen innovation capacity. Both creatives and technical experts shared concrete perspectives on entrepreneurship, storytelling, and the potential of immersive technologies for both business growth and societal transformation. Moderator: Kevin Sanikidze.

AR Installations: Merging Heritage with Digital Storytelling

Talk with artists Love Antell (Sweden), Kris Pilcher (USA/ Spain) and Lena Trapp (Sweden). Artists share their experiences creating AR
installations inspired by Karlskrona and local dialogue.

The Citizen Dialogue project explored “phigital environments,” merging physical and digital realities in Karlskrona’s historical locations. Led by Karlskrona Municipality and the Bepart Movement (Italy), the initiative encouraged the public to rediscover the city. Three artists—Lena Trapp (Sweden), Kris Pilcher (USA), and Love Antell (Sweden)—were selected through a competitive process, with support from Konst i Blekinge. They participated as artists-in-residence from May 19 to 21, 2025, creating site-specific artworks.

An interactive art walk took place on July 30, enabling visitors to download the app “The World Heritage Karlskrona” to experience these artworks through their mobile devices. Each piece was integrated into its location, reflecting the city’s identity and community stories.

At the panel discussion and event Creative Talks at Blue Port Studios, the artists shared their experiences and work processes with the audience.

Featured artworks included: – “The Sirens” by Love Antell (Sweden) at Hoglands Park Tunnel – “First Kiss” by Kris Pilcher (USA) at Stakholmen – “Vessels” by Lena Trapp (Sweden) at the Stumholmen Lighthouse. Read more about it here.

Case Study: “What Colour is Blekinge?” – From Dialogue with Citizens to a Digital Analogue Hybrid

During the Creative Talks, artist Lana Leuchuk presented “What Colour is Blekinge?”, an artistic research project that transformed citizen stories into a hybrid artwork. The project collected the voices of 21 people with a strong connection to Blekinge, including the artist herself. Their authentic personal stories became the heart of the project.

The challenge was to translate the feeling of “home” into visual art. By extracting a colour palette and flowing lines from the stories, Leuchuk created both a physical acrylic painting and an animated video. These works were showcased at the Citizen Dialogue and The Arts Dot Illuminated exhibition. The project synthesises human-led qualitative research with AI, visually representing both objective and subjective interpretations. It also includes lyrics based on actual research data, with the music produced using AI tools. See more here.

Cross-Border Collaboration & Co-Creation

Talk on the concept and creation of the physical art exhibition

While technology and digital art offered new platforms for expression, the Citizen Dialogue was committed to strengthening human connections through analogue art. This approach emphasised the creative process, physical materials, and meaningful conversations, contrasting with digital expressions.

Two initiatives by the art association Konst i Blickpunkt highlighted international collaboration. The first initiative was a group exhibition at Gallery Chapman from July 29 to 31, 2025, aimed at connecting artists across borders. The second initiative, The Unity Object (Modular Art) at Blue Port Studios, focused on analogue creation amidst a digital event, promoting citizen dialogue through art. This project highlighted the importance of human interaction and collective creativity, with Anna Enquist Müller and Jenny Svensson sharing their experiences during the event.

Mark Bounds and Bo Nikolausson presented the activities of Talent Coach, detailing ambitious plans to expand this initiative in the Blekinge region. They highlighted the vital role of supporting local creativity and its impact on the community’s growth.

Conversation between musician Vaidotas Valiukevičius and a Talent Coach on supporting music talents to reach international audiences.

The Lithuanian band The Roop – a group beloved by audiences all across Europe – were at the panel discussion.

Merging Creative Practice with New Technologies

A significant portion of the dialogue, held at the Karlskrona Blue Port Studio, was dedicated to the future of film and gaming, exploring how new technologies are shaping the entire entertainment industry.

Jacqueline Gault, John Langridge, and Anton Johansson participated in a live demonstration of the “Ascension” film project, discussing virtual production techniques.

Experts Sebastian Barabanow (AI in gaming), Maxe Axelsson (technological change), and Joakim Hansson & Andrea Nordwall (innovation in academia and film) shared valuable insights.

The discussions were supported by practical case studies, including conversations with Matthias Olsson and Anton Johansson about the film project “Harvest.” They provided updates on the Cannes pitch, shared team insights, and outlined the next steps as they prepare for filming in spring 2026.

Georgios Dimitropoulos discussed how advanced AI, digital simulations, and digital twins can expand creative possibilities in both fiction and non-fiction filmmaking. He presented the nature documentary “Archipelago,” which was partially filmed in the Karlskrona archipelago. This film is a compelling example of how creative storytelling and technology can work together to document, preserve, and raise awareness about biodiversity.

Artists René Holm and Rufus talked about the “To Get Lost Willingly” – immersive art experience (XR). Read more about it here.

Egidijus Gricius talks about innovative projects in Lithuania, including VR for revitalising the Oginski heritage site, reflections on virtual production studios in Vilnius and Karlskrona, as well as the Creative Camps initiative in Rietavas Municipality.

Yan Hu (Blekinge Institute of Technology, BTH) discussed how immersive technologies are transforming education and healthcare.

Presentation on the Virtual Production Studio’s origins, funding, operations, and future vision by Tobias Larsson (Professor, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden).

Welcome and overview of the program by Marie Björk (TAB / Blue Science Park) and Eleonore Vogel (Blue Science Park).

Read more about this event here.

This event was documented by Lana Leuchuk, who provided the photos and written summary.