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 27th September (at 2 pm UK time)…

FICTIONAL DECODERS

Encountering a talented “decoder” in a work of fiction is entertaining, and for semioticians it can also prove inspiring. I’ve invited Becks Collins, Whitney Dunlap-Fowler, Eugene Gorny, Rachel Lawes, Chirag Mediratta, and Antje Weißenborn to discuss a few favorite decoders from literature, movies, TV shows, and anime too!

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

Our sessionists:

• BECKS COLLINS is a freelance semiotician based in London, UK. Using semiotics, cultural insight, and design research, he identifies innovation and communication opportunities to help brands effectively connect with people and culture. He specializes in gender, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.

• WHITNEY DUNLAP-FOWLER is a semiotician and brand strategist specializing in helping clients build culturally intelligent brands. Before founding the consultancy Touch of Whit Creative, Whitney held roles at Kantar Added Value and Kelton Global. In 2020, she founded Insights in Color, a diversity initiative for multicultural market research and insights professionals.

• EUGENE GORNY was born in the USSR. He studied in Novosibirsk, Tartu and Prague, received his PhD from Goldsmiths, and was a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University. He has worked as a teacher, journalist, and semiotics consultant. He’s been based in Thailand since 2012.

• RACHEL LAWES is a futurist and marketer with a doctorate in social psychology. She established her commercial practice in 2002 and supplies semiotics to brands around the world. She is the author of Using Semiotics in Marketing, now in a second edition. And Using Semiotics in Retail, which won the prize for Best Book on Sales & Marketing at the Business Book Awards 2023.

• CHIRAG MEDIRATTA integrates semiotics, cultural anthropology, behavioural science, and systems thinking to craft winning strategies through actionable insights and innovative storytelling. He leads Fresh Think Strategy, Research & Branding in India and Canada and teaches cultural research, luxury branding, and applied semiotics.

• ANTJE WEISSENBORN is a semiotician and qualitative researcher based in Berlin with 25 years of experience. She has a post-graduate degree in semiotics and has specialized in commercial semiotics and cultural insights, supporting clients in brand strategy, communication and packaging development.

Session host: JOSH GLENN.

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