MUNCH

MUNCH Commissions the Artwork – Silvana Imam & Paula Strunden

MUNCH formally commissioned the duo Silvana Imam and Paula Strunden.

Prior to the creative work, Silvana Imam and Paula Strunden participated in a series of online sessions with the XTREME partners to familiarise themselves with the consortium’s competences, roles, and technologies.

The Iterative Process – Prototyping & Experimentation – December 2024 to October 2025

Following the commission, the production entered an extended period of iterative creative development — a series of hands-on workshops and experimental sessions.

• In mid-December 2024, the in-process commissioned artists visited ITU Copenhagen for a two-day session, accompanied by MUNCH’s creative producer Julie L. Parisi. The visit was an opportunity for the artists to explore the technical possibilities of both the 4DSOUND system and the Apple Vision Pro headset, through hands-on demos and conversations with ITU’s experts. The days in Copenhagen proved productive: the artists began shaping the direction of their work and identifying research questions they were keen to explore together with the XTREME project.

• In January 2026 the artists shared their vision and conceptual thoughts with the whole XTREME consortium, where the overall concept, visuals and sound of the 3 acts and “Espresso shot of life” were introduced.

• January – March 2026 – the artists and MUNCH had weekly digital meetings to explore concepts and to shape the artistic concept: focusing on sound, aesthetics, XR environments, interactions and audience experience. The audience experience was the focus in all conversations. KHORA and ITU were also included in the last sessions exploring technical feasibility towards their conceptual thoughts.

• March 2026 – MUNCH ran an audience insight and feedback session with a few groups of young adults, as they were the focus for the MUNCH use case. The insights were shared with the artist and the XTREME consortium to shape the concept development and key concerns on accessibility. This especially informed the audience experience, which was focused on care and creating a safe space and thinking about access.

• Later in March, the commissioned artists and Nisj (composer and producer) travelled to MUNCH in Oslo for an immersive research visit. They explored Edvard Munch’s body of work and were given a guided tour of the museum archive by Munch experts, drawing inspiration for their concept development. The trip also served as a hands-on working session in the festival hall, where the team ideated on remote participation concepts and experiential elements, and reviewed feedback from the young adults.

• May 2025, Paula Strunden and Julie L. Parisi returned to Copenhagen for two intensive days with KHORA and ITU, moving from concept into hands-on prototyping of act 1 — building the first part of the XR experience and remote participation concepts ahead of autumn testing at MUNCH.

• June 2025 – Silvana Imam joined the team for three days at the 4DSOUND studio at ITU. Working alongside Nisj (producer and composer), Marijn Cinjee from 4DSOUND, Christian Sivertsen from ITU, and Julie L. Parisi. The session focused on spatial sound experimentation and integrating the sound design with the broader artistic vision — a critical step toward the first full prototype.

• August 2025 – Paula Strunden went to Copenhagen to iterate, refine and work on the prototype 1 (Act 1) working together with KHORA.

• August 2025 – The MUNCH Youth Collective was introduced to the project, as a collaborative partner as a young expert group. They were particularly focused on serving as the guides in the XR experience as well as a feedback group for the artistic concept through the process.

Read more: Exciting Updates on the XTREME x MUNCH Collaboration (December 2024)

Read more: MUNCH Use Case in Development (May 2025)

Read more: Hands-On Experimentation at the 4DSOUND Studio (June 2025)

Testing in Oslo – Prototype 1 at MUNCH – October 2025

The first prototype of Act 1 (BIRTH) was tested in MUNCH’s festival hall in Oslo. The team explored spatial sound, XR design, and the dual-location “Livies” and “Ghosties” concept, connecting participants in Oslo and Copenhagen. A group of young adults from the MUNCH Youth Collective and other invited guests tested the experience and shared feedback through a reflection sheet, which was used to inform the design of the next prototype. The artists also held a dedicated session with the Youth Collective to explore how they could contribute their skills to the creative process. In parallel, the team worked hands-on in the space to map the sound and shape the audience experience for the next acts.

This iterative rhythm — concept exploration, experiment, refine, repeat — continued through to the prototype test in Oslo in October 2025 and the final developments leading to the final process viewing in May 2026.

Read more: MUNCH Prototype 1 – On-site Test in Oslo (October 2025)

The Iterative Process – Prototyping & Experimentation – from December 2025 to May 2026

• December 2025 – Silvana returned to Oslo to work with the youth collective designing various physical objects that were to be used in the XR environment.

• In the period between October 2024 and May 2026, the team worked remotely with the XTREME technology partners to make it ready for Prototype 2 and with the MUNCH workshop to work on the spatial components in the space to create a fully immersive and sensory experience.

• March 2026 – the creative team had an on-site workshop in Copenhagen. The focus was on the whole experience – all 3 acts and the participatory technology elements – merging the sounds and visuals, and the foundation of the remote participation was planned and tested in Copenhagen at ITU and the ITU sound lab. The full creative team also had a shared session with the consortium invited to give comments and discuss research potential.