I’m coordinator of Semiofest’s series of informal online “sessions.” These events are intended not only to share best practices among, but to nurture collegiality and friendship within the global semio community.

Coming up on November 29th (at 2 pm UK time)…

JURI LOTMAN

When it comes to making sense of our contemporary moment, the theorizing of the University of Tartu’s Juri Lotman (1922–1993) remains highly relevant. Session host Maarja Ojamaa has invited Max Matus, Maria Papanthymou, and Auli Viidalepp to discuss how Lotman’s key concepts — including the “semiosphere,” cultural “unpredictability,” and the “growth of meaning” — can inform applied semiotic work around branding, public education, and artificial intelligence.

Get tickets (suggested donations only) at the link above.

Our sessionists:

• MAX MATUS is a Zapotec indigenous scholar and consultant. He is the research director of Semiosfera Consulting. In his professional career as a consultant with 25 years of experience, Max has worked for the public and private sectors, developing qualitative research for the evaluation and innovation of products, services, and public policy in México, the U.S.A, and LATAM.
• MARIA PAPANTHYMOU is a semiotician and cultural researcher specializing in Russian culture. She has earned a PhD in social psychology, and an MA in marketing communications. 
• AULI VIIDALEPP is a Research Fellow in Semiotics at the University of Tartu and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Turin. She is investigating the sociocultural construction and impact of technology, focusing on AI and generative media.

Session host: MAARJA OJAMAA is an Associate Professor of Semiotics at the University of Tartu, Estonia, where she co-leads the Transmedia Research Group. Her work focuses on the dynamics of learning and teaching culture in the digital age.

Also see these international series here at SEMIOVOX: COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | MAKING SENSE WITH… | COLOR CODEX | CASE FILE