Polska / Poland

20-25 listopada 2024, Poznań
(20-25 November 2024, Poznań)

EXPERTS WORKSHOP

These workshops will examine local representations (or lack thereof) of digital immortality and their relations with local immortality-related traditions. To this end, ten local experts—including academics, artists, palliative care professionals, and entrepreneurs from each country who work at the intersection of death, immortality, and technology—will present their culture’s perspectives on death and immortality in the age of AI, addressing predefined questions. Participants will also be encouraged to collaborate on envisioning desirable futures for AI-driven technologies in the context of death and immortality using speculative design techniques. This part of the research will be held in English. 

Thursday, 21 November 2024

Sala Wielka, CK ZAMEK

5.30 PM

Screening of the documentary film ’Eternal You

A meeting with the film director Hans Block and Anja Franczak from the Institute of the Good Death. The meeting will be hosted by Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska. The conversation will be held in English. 

8.00 PM

Welcome Dinner (invitations only)

Friday, 22 November 2024

Sala Beczka, CK ZAMEK

9 AM – 5 PM

Workshop with Experts, Research Workshop Activities

EXPERTS

Agata Malenda, PhD, MD, is a specialist in internal diseases and hematology, currently training in palliative medicine. She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw, postgraduate studies „Mindfulness and compassion. Fundamentals, research, and psychotherapy” at the SWPS University, and the Leadership Academy for Poland. She is a member of the board of the Good Death Institute Foundation and the Polish Women in Medicine Foundation. She combines work as a doctor, university lecturer, and researcher as well as popularizes knowledge about palliative care. She is the initiator of the series of conferences „Empathy in Dying and Death”, during which the need for community and continuity of care for the dying patient and his family, also after death, is promoted.

Waldemar Kuligowski is a professor at the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. He’s also a head of the Section of Cultural Anthropology. He was conducting fieldworks in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Spain, Serbia, Canada, and Albania. He is a visiting professor at the University of Gdańsk and Masaryk University in Brno. His research interests focus on the theory of culture, reflexive ethnography, anthropology of motorway, festivals and festivalization. Recently he published Modernizing Localities in Poland: A Never-ending Transformation (Rowman & Littlefield 2024) and (with Marcin Poprawski) Festivals and Values. Music, Community Engagement and Organisational Symbolism (Springer Nature 2023). A selection of his critical essays in Serbian under the title „Polish Christ and Serbian Trumpets” is being prepared. As a „public intellectual”, he publishes his essays and articles in leading Polish newspapers and magazines.

Anja Franczka is an educator in the field of dying, death and grief. Founder of the Institute of the Good Death, an innovative and awarded social movement in Poland. Anja supports people in the final stages of life, people grieving the loss of a loved one, and those who work with them in hospitals, hospices and funeral homes. She also is a ritual celebrant, creating and leading personal farewell rituals and funeral ceremonies. Trained in Heidelberg at the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Care (Institut für Klinische Seelsorgeausbildung) as a professional grief counsellor certified by the Federal Association of Bereavement Counselling in Germany (Bundesverband Trauerbegleitung e.V.). As an end-of-life doula and certified instructor of the international initiative Last Aid Courses (Letzte Hilfe), she educates about the dying process and supports families who are caring for a loved one approaching the end of life. To find out more visit anjafranczak.com instagram.com/anja.franczak, instytutdobrejsmierci.pl

Agnieszka Beczek – Funeral Home Professional / Instagram Creator Known as „The Lady from the Funeral Home” on Instagram, Agnieszka uses her platform to open an honest and compassionate dialogue about her work in the funeral industry. She addresses taboo topics in a clear and approachable manner, offering insights into what happens to our bodies after death. Agnieszka is a dedicated staff member at the „Mój Anioł” Funeral Home in Warsaw. Her work is shaped by both personal and professional experiences, having trained not only in mortuary cosmetology but also in grief support. „My greatest priority is respect—for the living and the dead alike. I strive to create a caring environment where families can bid their final farewells with dignity, and I prepare the deceased for their journey with the utmost respect and care.” Instagram: @pani_z_domu_pogrzebowego Website: mojaniol.pl

Izabela Jachnicka – Funeral Celebrant, and Educator on Death and Grief A humanist innovator in the funeral industry, Izabela Jachnicka is the creator of the „slow farewell” concept and a designer and celebrant of humanistic funeral ceremonies and other farewell rituals. With a background in Oriental studies, she is a public speaker and educator, dedicated to demystifying death and mourning. As a member of both the Institute of Good Death Collective and the Apostolate of Good Death, Izabela Jachnicka is deeply committed to fostering meaningful connections during times of loss. She is the founder of „Ogród Pożegnań” („The Farewell Garden”), a welcoming space for those navigating grief. In Warsaw’s Intergenerational Activity Centers, she leads workshops focused on death and bereavement, helping others find their way through these challenging emotions. She is also the author of a conversation-based game about death and hosts the podcast „Ścieżki Żałoby” („Paths of Grief”). In her free time, she creates uplifting condolence cards. „I believe in the strength of human connection, in rituals that carry meaning, and in the power of creativity.” Instagram: @ogrodpozegnan Website: https://izabelajachnicka.pl/ https://pogrzeb-humanistyczny.com/

Natalia Hatalska – CEO and founder of infuture.institute, recognized as one of the most influential trend analysis and research experts. Featured on the Financial Times’ New Europe 100 list as one of central and eastern Europe’s brightest and best citizens changing the region’s societies, politics, or business environments. Acknowledged as one of Poland’s 50 most influential women and ranked among the top 10 authorities in Polish business. Awarded the title of Digital Shaper twice for her contributions to Poland’s digital economy development. Honoured on the Polish Forbes Women of the Year list and on the Esomar Insight250 list – containing 250 people from around the world, including innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers who „focus on improving the quality of market research”. The analyst, author of numerous research projects, and a keynote speaker. Received the Audience Award at the INSUMMIT congress and wrote the bestseller 'Age of Paradoxes: Will Technology Save Us?

Karolina Żyniewicz (PL/DE) is a Berlin-based artist&researcher&educator, a liminal being, existing and performing between various contexts and disciplines. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Visual Arts of the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and holds PhD in cultural sciences (title obtained in the transdisciplinary Nature – Culture doctoral program at the Faculty of Artes Liberales of the University of Warsaw). While executing art&research projects, mostly based on biotechnology and medicine, she also conducts ethnographic and autoethnographic observations, which constitute the basis for her reflections on the role of non-human actors in creating contemporary culture. In her work, she underlines the epistemic and didactic dimensions of art. In 2016–2018, she cooperated with the education departments of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw and the Zachęta National Gallery of Art, running workshops and museum lessons for regular audiences and with accessibility for visually impaired and deaf visitors. She uses these educational experiences in her own liminal practice. She is a member of The Eco-and Bioart Lab (hosted by Linköping University), a collaborator of Art Laboratory Berlin, and an associated editor of the Technoetic Arts journal.

Anna Nacher is an Associate Professor at Jagiellonian University, a 2020 Fulbright alumna, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Literature Organization. Her research centers around digital aesthetics and media, with a focus on new media art, electronic literature, and sound art. She also ventures into environmental humanities and postcolonial theory. She has published in European Journal of Women’s Studies, Hyperrhiz, and Communications +1 (among others) and contributed chapters to edited volumes. In 2021, together with Scott Rettberg (University of Bergen) and Soren Brø Pold (Aarhus University) she co-curated an online exhibition of electronic literature and digital art produced during the COVID19 pandemic: https://eliterature.org/elo2021/covid / In addition to her academic pursuits, Anna Nacher is also a musician and sound artist with a particular emphasis on voice and field recordings, collaborating with Victoria Vesna on Alien Star Dust Online Meditation and Noise Aquarium Meditation. She is an active member of permaculture community, Biotope Lechnica, which she has been building in the Carpathian mountains since 2014. She currently is working on the project bridging her theoretical academic endeavors on postdigital aesthetics, media materialities and mediation as well as her creative and permacultural pursuits, under umbrella name of Breath Library. More information and a full list of academic publications: http://breathlibrary.org More on Biotope Lechnica: http://biotoplechnica.eu More on Breath Library: https://breathlibrary.org/breath-library/

Tomasz Antoszek – Mediator, lawyer, psychologist. Head of Private Law Department at SWPS University School of Law (Poznan Faculty). President of the Regional ADR Center (WCAM) and co-founder of the House of Mediation. Certified business trainer in fields of conflict management, private law, negotiation and mediation. Author of the „Settlement agreement” publication and co-author of the Polish Civil Code Commentary. Expert and coach at the lawyers conflict resolution competitions, e.g. CDRC-Vienna, INADR (Best Advocate-Client Team Award 2019), ICC Hongkong (Champions 2020), mediUJ (Krakow; winners 2020), Prague Mediation Competition 2023 at Charles University (winners). Co-organiser and host of the INADR Mediation Competition (2022). Co-inventor of the social movement #WeLoveDisputes. Researches on: negotiation, settlement agreement; mediation substantive law; Singapore Convention; confidentiality.

TEAM

Katarzyna Nowaczyk - Basińska

Principal Investigator

Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska  is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, with a background in social communication, theatre studies, and interactive media and performances. In her research, she explores how new technologies (re)shape our understanding of death, loss, grief, and afterlife presence. Her work intersects the fields of technology, culture, and thanatology.
Since 2024, she has led the project „Imaginaries of Immortality in the Age of AI: An Intercultural Analysis,” aiming to understand the context-specific meanings of AI for our relationship to (im)mortality. Her work has been covered in numerous media outlets around the world, including BBC World News, The Guardian, Science News, TRT Global, and NPR. Her dissertation, „Immortality: Technocultural Strategies of Contemporary Times,” was awarded by the National Center for Culture in Poland as one of the three best theses defended in cultural studies between 2021 and 2023.
She is also a member of the international research consortium „Digital Death: Transforming History, Ritual, and Afterlife” (as part of the EU CHANSE) and a member of the the Institute of a Good Death.
3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094

TEAM

Stephen Cave

Experts Workshop Moderator

Stephen Cave is Academic Director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and Co-Director of the Institute for Technology and Humanity, both at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on philosophy and ethics of technology, particularly AI, robotics and life-extension. He is the author of Immortality (Crown, 2012), a New Scientist book of the year, and Should You Choose To Live Forever: A Debate (with John Martin Fischer, Routledge, 2023); and co-editor of AI Narratives (OUP, 2020), Feminist AI (OUP, 2023) and Imagining AI (OUP, 2023). He writes widely about philosophy, technology and society, including for the Guardian and Atlantic. He also advises governments around the world, and has served as a British diplomat.

3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094

TEAM

Tomasz Hollanek

Experts Workshop Moderator

Tomasz Hollanek is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (LCFI) and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge, working at the intersection of AI ethics and critical design.

His ongoing research explores the possibility of applying critical design methods – prioritising the goals of social justice and environmental sustainability – in the governance, development, and deployment of AI systems. This includes work on the ethics of human-AI interaction design (in particular, the design of companion chatbots and griefbots) and the In-depth EU AI Act Toolkit, helping developers translate the requirements of the European Union’s AI Act into design practice. At LCFI, he also leads the research stream dedicated to AI, Journalism, and Communications.

Previously, Tomasz was a Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholar at Cambridge and a Visiting Research Fellow at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He has contributed to numerous research projects, including the Global AI Narratives Project at LCFI and the Ethics of Digitalization research program at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard.

 

3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094

TEAM

Saide Mobayed Vega

Research Assistant

Saide Mobayed Vega will contribute to the ‘Imaginaries of Immortality in the Age of AI: An Intercultural Analysis’ project at the CFI. She is a sociologist focusing on STS, digital sociology, critical data studies, human rights, and gender-based violence. Saide is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, where she investigates how feminicide—the gender-related killing of women and girls—becomes translated into numerical data from global data sets to local data stories.

Saide has extensive experience in academic, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural work. She has co-organised numerous international conferences and workshops, including the Big Data & Society 2023 Colloquium: ‘Data Practices and Digital Social Worlds’ and the ‘Crossing Data: Building Bridges with Activist and Academic Practices from and for Latin America’ for CHI in 2022. Saide co-edited The Routledge International Handbook on Femicide and Feminicide, a collection of 50 chapters that offers an in-depth global examination of femicide and feminicide from various perspectives and disciplines.

Saide has been actively involved in public engagement. In 2017, she co-founded the ongoing ‘Femi(ni)cide Watch Platform’, with the UN Studies Association. From 2021-2022, she served as president of the Cambridge University Mexican Society. Before Cambridge, Saide collaborated with international and non-governmental organisations on human rights and gender-based violence projects, including UNODC and ARTICLE19.

3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094

TEAM

Anja Franczak

Focus Groups Moderator

Educator in the field of dying, death and grief. Founder of the Institute of the Good Death, an innovative and awarded social movement in Poland. Anja supports people in the final stages of life, people grieving the loss of a loved one, and those who work with them in hospitals, hospices and funeral homes. She also is a ritual celebrant, creating and leading personal farewell rituals and funeral ceremonies. Trained in Heidelberg at the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Care (Institut für Klinische Seelsorgeausbildung) as a professional grief counsellor certified by the Federal Association of Bereavement Counselling in Germany (Bundesverband Trauerbegleitung e.V.). As an end-of-life doula and certified instructor of the international initiative Last Aid Courses (Letzte Hilfe), she educates about the dying process and supports families who are caring for a loved one approaching the end of life.

anjafranczak.com
instagram.com/anja.franczak

3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094

TEAM

Tomasz Siuda

Photographer / Artist

Tomasz Siuda is a photographer, artist, and photo therapist. He graduated from the Poznań Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in photography. He is an educator, lecturer, and a board member of the Key for Tomorrow Foundation. He publishes in the magazine for photographers, reporters, and travelers, Kontynenty. Using photo-therapeutic techniques, he conducts workshops in the area of Ars Moriendi, addressing mortality and confronting emotions surrounding death and grief.
3970EE5E-984A-4190-B536-FA23A5664094