Digital Shadows

René Mayrhofer is a professor of networks and security at JKU Linz, with over 20 years of research in computer science focusing on network and system security, digital identities, and smartphone security. After positions at Lancaster University (UK), the University of Vienna, and the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Campus Hagenberg, he returned to JKU in 2014 to lead the Institute of Networks and Security and a Christian Doppler Laboratory. He also co-heads the LIT Secure Systems Lab.

Philipp Hofer is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Networks and Security at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. His research focuses on the intersection of security and biometrics.

Andrea Hummer is production manager of the Circus of Knowledge at Johannes Kepler University Linz.

Ilona Roth is a choreographer, director, and curator based in Linz, with many years of international experience. She specializes in interactive and participatory art projects in public spaces and on stage. She is co-founder and director of RedSapata Tanzfabrik, a key network for contemporary dance in Linz, and Transitheart Productions, a label for multidisciplinary performance art.

Linda Huber is a project manager at LIFT_C and at Johannes Kepler University Linz. For several years, she has developed a broad range of event formats, from scientific symposia to mental health awareness events. She is also involved in staging theater productions at JKU’s Circus of Knowledge. As a certified herbalist, she infuses her love of nature into her work, valuing the principles of sustainability, seasonality, and regionality.

Gisela Klammsteiner is a textile and social designer, a graduate of the University of Art and Design Linz, as well as a project manager and an art and culture educator from Austria. Her projects focus on artistic and collaborative processes, as well as on social sustainability and well-being.

Sara Koniarek is a visual artist and art director who combines gamification, human-computer interaction, extended stage design, and spatial narratives in the realms between physical and virtual space.

Simon Sharkey is the director and CEO of The Necessary Space, an international platform for artistic work at the intersection of art, technology, and society. He was one of the founding directors of the National Theatre of Scotland, where he shaped the “Theatre Without Walls” concept for over 15 years. His immersive and interdisciplinary projects have taken place across Brazil, India, Jamaica, Canada, and Scotland, focusing on creative and collective processes for social transformation.

Valerio Iurato is a dancer and choreographer born in Sicily. He trained in ballroom, Argentinian tango, classical, and contemporary dance at I.D.A. in Ravenna and R.C.P.D. in Madrid. He performed as a soloist with Tanz Linz (2015–2021) and was a member of the Imperfect Dancers Company. As a freelance choreographer and teacher, he develops his own training method, grounded in physical awareness and high-performance research.

Alina Lugovskaya is a freelance dance and performance artist, originally from Ukraine/Russia and currently based in Linz. She holds a BA in Performance and Pedagogy from the Anton Bruckner University Linz and is currently pursuing an MA in Movement Research. She tours internationally, including with the Joshua Monten Dance Company, and develops her own artistic projects. She also teaches urban-contemporary dance and movement workshops across Europe.