In March, CICANT’s Early Visual Media Lab (EVML) welcomed first-year students from Lusófona University’s MA in Photography for two immersive sessions exploring media archaeology and the history of visual culture.
These visits introduced students to the lab’s ongoing research projects and its specialised collection dedicated to the History of Photography, offering a hands-on and interdisciplinary learning experience.
The first session, led by Professor Rodrigo Peixoto, focused on Virtual Reality (VR) applications in historical research. Students engaged with two projects developed at EVML:
- The Congo Panorama, combining historical context with an artistic reinterpretation featuring contributions from the Belgian-Congolese diaspora;
- A recreation of Carlos Relvas’ first photographic studio, where students experienced stereoscopic photographs through VR headsets, replicating their original three-dimensional effect.
The second session, led by Professor Victor Flores and researcher Catarina Patrício, centred on the lab’s collection. Students explored key artefacts in the evolution of visual media, including daguerreotypes, stereoviews, and 19th-century optical devices.
By opening its doors to MA students, CICANT’s Early Visual Media Lab reinforces its commitment to bridging research and teaching. These sessions not only showcase the lab’s work but also encourage emerging researchers to engage with media archaeology and interdisciplinary approaches as they develop their future academic projects.