This seminar presents Julien Laroche’s research on embodied interaction and the dynamics of collective creativity at the intersection of physical and digital realities.
From controlled sensorimotor laboratory tasks to ecological creative settings, his work demonstrates that while successful collaboration and socio-affective bonds rely on our ability to "move together in time," collective agency extends far beyond the mere optimization of temporal coordination. In fact, particularly in unscripted and improvised environments, transient de-synchronization, collective dissensus, and a blurred sense of agency are not failures to be avoided; rather, they constitute essential opportunities for creative reorganization, enhanced collaboration, and deepened interpersonal connection.
Drawing on concepts such as Group Improvisation Games and Shared Diminished Reality, the talk will emphasize how participatory research and design as well as multi-user immersive environments offer novel spaces for interaction-based experimentation on coordinated action, perception, and shared experience.
Ultimately, the seminar will reflect on how virtual reality may function as a methodological bridge between laboratory control and real-world social complexity, with potential applications for innovative forms of data collection and collaborative research at LISER.
Other guests and researchers, including Dor Abrahamson, Justin Dimmel, and Camille Perchoux, will briefly introduce their work using virtual reality for participatory and experimental research.
