Mirjana Prpa

Mirjana Prpa, is an artist, an architect, researcher and designer of virtual reality experiences. She utilizes the immersive virtual reality to elicit experiences of attending to self, shifting participants’ focus from the noise of ongoing distractions to mindfulness reflection, in a paradoxical interplay of using technology to undo the effects of the long-term technology use. Currently, she is conducting this work as a Ph.D. candidate at SFU’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology in Vancouver, Canada.
mprpa@sfu.ca | madzie.com

Affiliations: Simon Fraser University, SIAT
Position: PhD candidate
Interests: Virtual Reality, Micro-Phenomenology, User Experience
Current projects: Respire
Past projects: Pulse Breath Water Solar State.Scape
CV: Mirjana Prpa – Academic CV 2020

Keywords: Technology as Experience, Affective Computing, Interaction Design, User Experience, Micro-Phenomenology, Brain-Computer Interfaces, Interactive Arts.

Publications

Upcoming conference presentations:  CHI 2020, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi : program TBA.

2020 | Prpa, M., Stepanova, E.R., Schiphorst,T., Riecke, B.E., & Pasquier, P., “Inhaling and Exhaling: How Technologies Can Perceptually Extend our Breath Awareness” to be presented at CHI’20, April 25–30, 2020, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (link will be posted after conf.presentation).

Supplementary material: 31 breath-based interactive systems_matrix

2020 | Prpa, M., Fdili-Alaoui,S., Schiphorst,T., & Pasquier, P., “Articulating Experience: Reflections from Experts Applying Micro-Phenomenology to Design Research in HCI” (a Best Paper Award, CHI 2020).

2019 | Prpa, M., & Pasquier, P., “Brain-Computer Interfaces in Contemporary Art: A State of the Art and Taxonomy.” In Brain Art: Brain-Computer Interfaces for Artistic Expression, edited by Anton Nijholt, 65–115. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019.

Database: https://bci-art.tumblr.com/

2019 | Tatar, K., Prpa, M., & Pasquier, P. (2018) Respire: Virtual Reality Art with Musical Agent Guided by Respiratory Interaction. Leonardo Music Journal, 29, 19-24.

2018 | Prpa, M., Tatar, K., Schiphorst, T., & Pasquier, P. (2018) Respire: a Breath Away from the Experience in Virtual Environment, art CHI 2018, Extended Abstract.

2018| Prpa, M., & Pasquier, P. (2018)  BCI art: brain computer interfaces in contemporary art, BCI workshop CHI 2018, Extended Abstract.

2018|Kitson, A., Prpa, M., & Riecke, B. E. (2018) Immersive Interactive Technologies for Positive Change: A Systematic Review and Design Considerations,  Frontiers in Psychology, section Human-Media Interaction.

2018|Prpa, M.,Tatar, K., Françoise, J.,Riecke, B. E., Schiphorst, T., & Pasquier, P. (2018) Attending to Breath: Evaluating how the cues in virtual environment guide the attention to breath and shape the quality of experience to support mindfulness. Full paper presented at DIS 2018.

2017|Prpa, M.,Tatar, K., Riecke, B. E., & Pasquier, P. (2017). The Pulse Breath Water System: Exploring Breathing as an Embodied Interaction for Enhancing the Affective Potential of Virtual Reality. Full paper, HCI International, July 2017.

2015|Prpa, M., Cochrane,K., & Riecke, B. E.(2015). Hacking alternatives in 21st century: Designing bio- responsive virtual environment for stress reduction. Short paper, MindCare Symposium, Milan, Italy, September 2015.

2015|Prpa, M., Riecke, B. E., & Miucin, S. (2015). State.scape: a brain as an experience generator. Short paper accepted to ISEA 2015, Vancouver, Canada.

2014| Jordan, J. D., Prpa, M., Feuereissen, D., & Riecke, B. E. (2014). Comparing the Effectiveness of Stereo Projection vs 3D TV in Inducing Self-Motion Illusions (Vection) (p. 128). Presented at the ACM Symposium on Applied Perception SAP, Vancouver, Canada.

Position Papers & Course Proposals

2018 | Prpa, M., & Pasquier, P. (2018). BCI art: brain computer interfaces in contemporary art position paper, Artistic BCI workshop at CHI 2018.

Posters

2017 | Stepanova, E. R., Quesnel, D., Kitson, A., Prpa, M., Riecke, B.E., Virtual Reality as a Tool for Induc- ing and Understanding Transformative Experiences, Psychonomics Society 58th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada.

2017 | Kitson, A., Prpa, M., & Riecke, B. E., Designing Virtual Environments for Breath Awareness and Eliciting Positive Affective States, 3rd Annual Innovations in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health: Virtual Reality and Behavior Change, Stanford, CA, USA.

2016 | Prpa, M., Quesnel, D., Kitson, A., Cochrane, K., Vidyarthi, J., & Riecke, B. E., Visuo-Sonic Cradle – Immersive interaction design combining breathing- and neurofeedback to foster meditative states, ICM2016ROME, poster presentation, Rome, Italy.

2014 | Prpa, M., Miucin, S., & Riecke, B. E. (2014). Using an EEG-based brain-computer interfaces for a responsive art installation. Poster presented at the ACM Symposium on Computational Aesthetics (CAe), Vancouver, Canada.

Retrieved from http://expressive2014.mpi-inf.mpg.de/

2014 | Prpa, M., Miucin, S., & Riecke, B. E. (2014). Towards User Personalized Environments: an Artistic Exploration Using an EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface,. Poster presented at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) Conference, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Talks & presentations

2019 | Prpa, M., presentation at the Interface Health CEO Summit, Vancouver, BC, Canada, March 14th.

2018 | Prpa, M., panel presentation, Women in Tech Regatta: The Story of Bleeding-Edge Technologies, Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 1st.

2016 | Prpa, M. & Tatar, K., Sound as a mediator in Interactive Arts: Challenges of Interdisciplinarity, Talk at ProMusica Electroacoustic Festival, Vancouver, Canada.

2016 | Prpa, M.  & Tatar, K., Talk at Chapel Sound Festival, Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 21st.

2016 | Prpa, M., Living in a box: potentials and challenges of existence in VR, Talk at Consumer VR (CVR), Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 14th.

Supplementary material: https://vimeo.com/175143395

2015 | Prpa, M., Hacking alternatives in 21st century: Designing bio-responsive virtual environment for stress reduction Talk presented at IAT805 Research Colloquium Series, Surrey, BC, November 2015.

2014 | Riecke, B. E., Jordan, J. D., Prpa, M., & Feuereissen, D. (2014). Underlying Perceptual Issues in Vir- tual Reality Systems: Does Display Type Affect Self-Motion Perception? Talk presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society (Psychonomics), Los Angeles, US.

Exibitions

2018 | Respire, in collaboration with Kıvanç Tatar, Philippe Pasquier, Digital Carnival, Richmond, Canada.

2018 | Respire, in collaboration with Kıvanç Tatar, Philippe Pasquier, and Thecla Schiphorst, art CHI 2018, Montreal, Canada.

2018 | Respire, in collaboration with Kıvanç Tatar, Philippe Pasquier, MWX2018, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.

2016 | Pulse Breath Water, in collaboration with Kıvanç Tatar, AI advisor: Philippe Pasquier, VR advisor: Bernhard Riecke, at Mutek_IMG -VR Salon, Montreal, Canada.

2016 | P.O.E.M.A, in collaboration with Regina Miranda and Kıvanç Tatar, AI advisor: Philippe Pasquier, VR advisor: Bernhard Riecke, Oi Futuro -Flamengo, Rio 2016 culture programme for Olympics 2016.

2016 | Pulse Breath Water in collab. with Kıvanç Tatar at CVR, Vancouver, Canada.

2016 | Pulse Breath Water, in collaboration with Kıvanç Tatar scores+traces, One Art Space, NY, USA (group exhibition).

2014 | StateScape MEDIUM : PLAY Installation Exhibition, CDM, Vancouver(group exhibition).

Scholarships, Fellowships & Grants

2020 | SFU/SSHRC Small Research Grant.

2018 | KEY Big Data Graduate Scholarship, Simon Fraser University.

2017 | SFU/SSHRC Small Research Grant.

2016 | Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University.

2016 | MLSRI 2016: Research Fellowship.

2016 | Movement and Emotion as Computational Interfaces: Research Fellowship.

2016 | Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University.

2016 | Graduate Award, Simon Fraser University.

2015 | Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University.

2014 | Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University.

2013 | Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University.

Recognition & Awards

2018 | Recognition as a Future of Art, Science, and Technology,
Leonardo 50th Anniversary, SIGGRAPH, 2018, Vancouver, Canada.

2018 | Listed as one of the Emerging Leonardos in 2018.

2017 | Lumen Prize: Pulse Breath Water Short-listed in AI category .

2017 | Lumen Prize: Pulse Breath Water Long-listed in AI category .

Professional Development:

2017 | Micro-phenomenology data analysis training with Claire Petitmengin Paris, France.

2017 | Micro-phenomenology interview training with Claire Petitmengin, Paris, France.

2016 | MLSRI — People, Place, and Practice.

2016 | Putting Contemplative Studies  into Context, Garrison, NY, USA.

2016 | Movement and Emotion as Computational Interfaces, York University, Toronto.

2016 | Movement.futures – May Residency 2016, Emily Carr University, Vancouver.

2015 | May Residency 2015, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Academic Service/Organizing Committees/Advisory Board

2019 | Reviewer, DIS’19 (Designing Interactive Systems), San Diego, USA.

2019 | Advisory Board member, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative, Simon Fraser University.

2016 | Poster and Publicity Chair, MindCare, Barcelona, Spain.

2015 | Poster and Demo Chair, MOCO, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

2014 – 2015 | Poster and Demo Chair, Art Talk Chair, ISEA2015, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Selected Media Coverage

Rethinking VR for the benefit of society: an interview with SFU changemaker and woman in tech, Mirjana Prpa

Leonardo’s 50th Anniversary – Recognition

Mirjana Prpa: Emerging Leonardo, 2018

Mirjana Prpa LED Profile

On the cover: A dancer in movement in P.O.E.M.A, 2016. See the free article download in this issue by Kıvanç Tatar, Mirjana Prpa and Philippe Pasquier.