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 June 28th (at 2 pm UK time)…

LIMINALITY POST-PORTO (I)

The theme of Semiofest Porto, in May, was LIMINALITY. The conference was a great success… but we all wanted more! So Sónia Marques has invited Jerry Mathew, Alice Sweitzer, and Shion Yokoo to chat with us about: Bridging Cyber Liminality and Ancient Wisdom, The Semiotics of Protest and Demonstration in Berlin’s Consumer Culture, and Liminality and Theatricality in Performances. This is the first of two liminality-themed post-Porto sessions.

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

Our sessionists:

• JERRY MATHEW, a psychologist turned market researcher, specializes in creating narratives that connect with target audiences’ psyches. Currently at MetrixLab, he delivers consumer insights and brand strategy across sectors including FMCG, media, alcoholic beverages, automotive, e-commerce, and consumer goods.

• ALICE SWEITZER is a cultural strategist who operates between Berlin and New York City. She works with brands and agencies to unlock value-resonant growth with a mix of insights, trends, and futures methodologies.

• SHION YOKOO is a contemporary performance creator and performer. Originally from Japan, she obtained a BA in dance and an MA in semiotics from the University of Tartu, Estonia. She expresses herself and her surroundings humanely and honestly, exploring anti-theatricality in theoretical and practical terms.

Session host: SÓNIA MARQUES is a Lisbon-based commercial semiotician. She is the founder of Indiz, a pioneering market research company that applies insights from semiotics, cognitive linguistics, narratology, discourse analysis, and anthropology. A guest lecturer at Porto Business School, she was co-organizer of Semiofest Porto 2024. 

PS: Many thanks to Nuno for permission to use the liminal photo featured in the poster.

SEMIOFEST SESSIONS: R/D/E | BINARIES | SEMIOTICS & UX | BODY SEMIOTICS | AI & SEMIOTICS | SEMIOTICS & CINEMA | FICTIONAL DECODERS | ON COLOUR | & more.

Also see these international semio series: COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | MAKING SENSE | COLOR CODEX | DECODER | CASE FILE