From 27 to 29 May 2026, the Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC) hosted the 8th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Intermedial Studies (ISIM) on VUB’s Campus Etterbeek. Co-organised by CLIC members Janine Hauthal, Gry Ulstein and Marcela Scibiorska (ULB-FNRS/VUB), together with Anne Reverseau (UCLouvain), and Karel Vanhaesebrouck (ULB), the conference welcomed 130 researchers and artists from more than 25 countries for three days of lively exchange in a fully hybrid format.
Under the theme The Politics of Intermedial Connectivity, participants explored how intermedial studies can contribute to contemporary debates on power, identity, mobility, and cultural exchange. Across four parallel streams, participants examined the ways in which media interactions shape and reflect political realities, drawing on perspectives from postcolonial, feminist, queer, decolonial, ecocritical, migration, and digital media studies. Discussions addressed topics such as representation, environmental crises, migration, transcultural encounters, decolonial practices, and the challenges of increasingly fragmented digital public spheres.
The programme featured keynote lectures by Birgit Neumann (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf), Mieke Bal (Universiteit van Amsterdam), and Patrick Jagoda (University of Chicago), who offered inspiring perspectives on intermediality, cultural connection, artistic practice, and transmedia games.
Beyond the academic programme, the conference provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen international collaborations and foster dialogue across disciplines. Participants also visited the Foragers exhibition at Pilar – House of Science & Art and attended the performance Reality Show by the Brazilian collective Mexa as part of Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2026.
A special word of thanks goes to CLIC members Carmijn Gerritsen, Thomas Mantzaris, and Yanrong Wang, BA student Alice Sudina, and CLIC’s Talent for Research trainees Mehran Ghandi, Jiske Herrijgers, Jana Kopkášová, and Noah Van den Eynde, whose dedication as conference volunteers contributed greatly to the event’s success.