Call for Papers:

“Reshaping Spatial Acoustics” Workshop
August 25-26, 2026
Aalto University, Finland
https://www.aalto.fi/en/school-of-arts-design-and-architecture/respa-reshaping-spatial-acoustics-1

Deadline for submission of abstracts: June 18, 2026

Sound is energy traveling through a medium. Sound is also experienced by humans and other living organisms, and as such, it is a way of transmitting information. In this process of sound becoming a medium in itself, it has an embodied effect on a person’s ability to think, feel, and act in a given environment. Our research project “RESPA –Reshaping Spatial Acoustics: Embodied Sound in AR Environments” (PI Sanna Lehtinen) is based on the idea that it increases “productive awareness” that is needed to navigate and make sense of the world. Moreover, appropriate audio rendering may help to enhance the sense of presence in forthcoming augmented reality (AR) calling systems and help to enjoy and find recreation in other augmented reality applications.

The research project is organizing a workshop at Aalto University, Finland, on 25-26 August 2026.The aim of the workshop is to contribute to research on embodied sound in technologically enhanced environments and foster future collaborations. The invited keynote is Tomi Kokkonen (University of Helsinki).

The workshop consists of two days as follows:

Tuesday 25th August:

Academic roundtable with 20-minute presentations followed by an evening reception/stakeholders’ event.

Wednesday 26th August:

Tours at the Acoustics Labs. You are welcome to try out the demo environment yourself! Moreover, you will see world-class acoustic research facilities, including a spatial audio demo, variable acoustics, reverberation enhancement and a demonstration of concert hall acoustics.

SUBMISSIONS:

Send your abstract of 200 words at maximum to onerva.kiianlinna@aalto.fi on 18th June the latest.

MORE INFORMATION:

https://www.aalto.fi/en/school-of-arts-design-and-architecture/respa-reshaping-spatial-acoustics-1

ABOUT RESPA:

RESPA – Reshaping Spatial Acoustics: Embodied Sound in AR Environments contributes to research on embodied sound in technologically enhanced environments by comparing and combining insights from empirical aesthetics (neuro-cognitive and evolutionary), philosophy of technology (postphenomenological mediation), acoustic studies, and psychology of perception. It is a cross-disciplinary project spanning the Departments of Art and Media, Information and Communications Engineering, and Computer Science. Our joint efforts focus on understanding the role of sound in advanced augmented reality (AR) environments, and as part of the project, we will build a demo environment to put these insights into practice.