This special track invites research into how immersive and interactive technologies can foster contemplative engagement, spiritual experience, and psychological wellbeing. It welcomes scholars, practitioners, and creatives to explore the intersection of immersive digitial art, meditation, mindfulness, extended reality (ER), artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and psychology. Situated between artistic experimentation and scientific inquiry, the track emphasizes research that leverages neurophysiological sensing, affective computing, extended reality environments, generative aesthetics, and biofeedback to produce experiences of digital transcendence. We are particularly interested in work that reframes spirituality through the lenses of embodiment, perception, and neuroaesthetics, as well as studies that examine mindfulness, presence, and affective resonance as measurable experiential constructs. The goal is to explore the transformative potential of cross-disciplinary research, where blending perspectives from art, science, technology, and spirituality reveals innovative pathways and practices for fostering creativity, promoting mental health and wellbeing, and enhancing emotional experience.

By bringing together artists, researchers, technologists, and creatives, this track seeks to outline new paradigms for spiritual and contemplative experiences in an age of sensory overload, and to examine how digital media can support holistic mind–spirit wellbeing. We welcome original research, case studies, innovative methodologies demonstrations, and artistic contributions that explore the transformative potential of creative cross-disciplinary research and practice.

Submissions should contribute to advancing our understanding of the synergies between immersive art, virtual reality (VR) environments, meditation and mindfulness, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, neuroaesthetics, biofeedback, and psychology, as well as their implications for personal growth, artistic expression, and social change.

We welcome contributions that investigate the intersection of art, science, technology, and therapy, including but not limited to:

• Cross-disciplinary research blending immersive art, design, immersive technologies, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and psychology
• Neuroaesthetic and biofeedback-driven immersive experiences
• Generative art informed by meditation, mindfulness, or contemplative practices
• Extended reality, and multisensory environments designed for introspection, emotional wellbeing, or digital transcendence
• Cross-disciplinary studies of embodiment, perception, and affective experience
• Experimental research bridging neuroscience, cognitive science, and creative practice
• Art and Music Therapy
• Creative applications of VR technology (e.g., Brain-Computer Interfaces, Augmented Reality, immersive virtual reality) for mental health and wellbeing interventions, including meditation and mindfulness
• Art-based therapeutic interventions, exploring innovative immersive approaches and evaluating their effectiveness in various contexts
• Ethical considerations in immersive and bioresponsive technologies
• Future directions, envisioning new research trajectories and potential applications at the nexus of art, science, and technology in the context of mental health and wellbeing.

This is an opportunity for scholars, practitioners, and creatives to present cross-disciplinary research, introducing novel perspectives and practices to advance mental health and wellbeing.

Bruno Azevedo, Centro ALGORITMI, University of Minho, Portugal

Bruno Azevedo is an Assistant Researcher at the Algoritmi Research Center – engageLab, University of Minho (Portugal), working at the intersection of art, science, and technology. He is a Distinguished Member of the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI), and his ArtsIT 2023 paper received the Best Paper Award. He has held postdoctoral positions in Digital Humanities (PortLinguE project), IVISSEM, 6.849,32 Journal Articles Everyday: Visualize or Perish! (based on his Ph.D. thesis) and in the INNOVATIVE CAR HMI collaboration with Bosch, focusing on information visualization, adaptive interfaces, machine learning, usability, and user experience. He has also served as an Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Minho. His current research combines information visualization, Zazen meditation, neuroscience, and aesthetic computational approaches in extended reality.

contact: [email protected]

Elena Partesotti, Universidad de Valladolid Facultad De Educacion, Palencia, Spain

Elena Partesotti is a professor at the University of Valladolid and research collaborator at NICS (UNICAMP) working at the intersection of music technology, music education, therapy, and inclusive interaction design. She holds an International PhD Cum Laude in Music Technology applied to Music Therapy, awarded jointly by the University of Valladolid and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP, Brazil), where she patented E-MOCOMU — an Extended Digital Musical Instrument (EDMI) for therapeutic and artistic use — and pioneered the application of Digital Musical Instruments in music therapy. She later developed BehCreative, a multimodal EDMI that turns the human body into an interactive instrument, through a collaboration between the Brazilian Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (BRAINN) and the Interdisciplinary Nucleus for Sound Studies (NICS) at UNICAMP, where she conducted postdoctoral research supported by a FAPESP fellowship. She serves as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Art Therapy and, since 2024, is a member of the international Accessible Digital Music Network.

contact: [email protected]

Olivia Morgan Lapenta, Psychology Research Centre – Psychological Neuroscience Lab – Universidade do Minho, Portugal

Olivia Morgan Lapenta is a researcher at the Psychology Research Centre of Universidade do Minho. She has a background in Biology, Developmental Disorders, and Human Cognitive Neuroscience and is an expert in electroencephalography and brain stimulation. Her research combines physiological and behavioural assessments to investigate perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes. Her current research explores (1) the effects of meditation on well-being and relaxation, focusing on associated electroencephalographic and heart rate patterns; (2) the multisensory perception of food, examining how food cues shape taste expectations and eating behaviour, as well as interventions for individuals with eating disorders or altered taste perception; and (3) integrative approaches to multisensory integration, emotion perception, and motor performance. In addition to research activities, she has played a key role in organising international scientific events, including as assistant coordinator of the II, III, and V International Neuromodulation Symposium, and as a member of the Multidisciplinary Committee on Neurosciences, Bioengineering, Biology, and Physical Education at the 6th Brazilian Neuromodulation Congress. She also served on the Programme Committee for the 13th EAI International Conference: ArtsIT, Interactivity & Game Creation. She is currently on the Organising Committee and the Scientific Board for ICON2025 (15th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience).

contact: [email protected]

• Domna Banakou, LAMPA laboratory of Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology, France
• Elena Partesotti, Universidad de Valladolid, Facultad De Educacion, Palencia, Spain
• Rubén Tortosa, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
• Artemis Moroni, CTI Renato Archer, Brasil
• Olivia Morgan Lapenta, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
• Geoffrey Gorisse, LAPMA, Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology

Conference Proceedings

All accepted and registered papers will be submitted for publishing by Springer – LNICST series and made available through SpringerLink Digital Library: ArtsIT Conference Proceedings. This series is indexed in leading indexing services, such as Web of Science, Compendex, Scopus, DBLP, EU Digital Library, IO-Port, MatchSciNet, Inspec and Zentralblatt MATH.

Available Journals

All accepted authors are eligible to submit an extended version in a fast track of:

• EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies
• EAI Endorsed Transactions on Broadcasting Technologies

Authors have the opportunity to publish their articles in the EAI Endorsed Transactions journal selected by the conference (Scopus, Ei-indexed, ESCI-WoS, Compendex) by paying an additional $250, discounted from the standard $400 rate for conference authors.

The article’s publication is subject to the following requirements:  

• It must be an extended version of the conference paper with a different title and abstract. In general, 30% of new content must be added.
• The article will be processed once the conference proceedings have been published.
• The article will be processed using the fast-track option.
• Once the conference proceedings are published, the corresponding author should contact us at [email protected] with the details of their article to begin processing.

Additional publication opportunities

• EAI Transactions series (Open Access)
• EAI/Springer Innovations in Communications and Computing Book Series
  (titles in this series are indexed in Ei Compendex, Web of Science & Scopus)

EAI is an open community dedicated to creating an environment where every member receives the same opportunities, benefits and opportunities to develop and grow their research mission and career. As the largest free professional research society in the world EAI offers a complete range of conference proceedings publication opportunities. Based on the qualification of the conference and the conference scope EAI provides the possibility to publish the proceedings for every sponsored conference. Consistent with its mission to support developing communities all EAI sponsored conferences appear in EUDL, the European Union Digital Library (EUDL). EUDL is Open Access and free for EAI members reaching a community of 250,000 subscribers and providing the visibility that allows the conference organizers to develop the conference into a fully fledged indexed proceedings publication in subsequent years.

Papers should be submitted through the EAI ‘Confy+‘ system, and have to comply with the Springer format (see Author’s kit section).

• Full/ Regular papers should be 12-20 pages in length. (Excluding appendices, references, appreciation, etc.)
• Short papers should be 6-11 pages in length. (Excluding appendices, references, appreciation, etc.)

*Please note that additional pages will be subject to an extra charge for each extra page uploaded.

All conference papers undergo a thorough peer review process prior to the final decision and publication. This process is facilitated by experts in the Technical Program Committee during a dedicated conference period. Standard peer review is enhanced by EAI Community Review which allows EAI members to bid to review specific papers. All review assignments are ultimately decided by the responsible Technical Program Committee Members while the Technical Program Committee Chair is responsible for the final acceptance selection. You can learn more about Community Review here

1. Go to Confy+ website.
2. Log in or sign up as a new user.
3. Select your desired track.
4. Click the ‘Submit Paper’ link within the track and follow the instructions.

• All papers must be submitted in English. 

• Submitted PDFs should be anonymized.

• Double-blind review process.

• Previously published work cannot be submitted, nor can it be concurrently submitted to any other conference or journal. These papers will be rejected without review. 
• Papers must follow the Springer formatting guidelines (available in the Author’s Kit section). 
• Authors must read and agree to the Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

• Submission closes at 23:59 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on the day of the Submission Deadline.

• As per new EU accessibility requirements, going forward, all figures, illustrations, tables, and images should have descriptive text accompanying them. Please refer to the document below, which will assist you in crafting Alternative Text (Alt Text)

HOW TO WRITE GOOD ALT TEXT

For full information, click HERE.

AI Authorship Policy

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, do not currently satisfy our authorship criteria. Notably an attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs. We thus ask that the use of an LLM be properly documented in the Acknowledgements, or in the Introduction or Preface of the manuscript.

The use of an LLM (or other AI-tool) for “AI assisted copy editing” purposes does not need to be declared. In this context, we define the term “AI assisted copy editing” as AI-assisted improvements to human-generated texts for readability and style, and to ensure that the texts are free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and tone. These AI-assisted improvements may include wording and formatting changes to the texts, but do not include generative editorial work and autonomous content creation. In all cases, there must be human accountability for the final version of the text and agreement from the authors that the edits reflect their original work. This reflects a similar stance taken on the AI generative figures policy, where it was acknowledged that there are cases where AI can be used to generate a figure without being concerned about copyright e.g. to generate a graph based on data provided by the author. 

AI Authorship Guidance

Authors should familiarise themselves with the current known risks of using AI models before using them in their manuscript. AI models have been known to plagiarise content and to create false content. As such, authors should carry out due diligence to ensure that any AI-generated content in their book is correct, appropriately referenced, and follow the standards as laid out in our Book Authors’ Code of Conduct.

AI-generated Images Policy

The fast-moving area of generative AI image creation has resulted in novel legal copyright and research integrity issues. As publishers, we strictly follow existing copyright law and best practices regarding publication ethics. While legal issues relating to AI-generated images and videos remain broadly unresolved, Springer Nature journals and books are unable to permit its use for publication.

Exceptions:

• Images/art obtained from agencies that we have contractual relationships with that have created images in a legally acceptable manner.
• Images and videos that are directly referenced in a piece that is specifically about AI and such cases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• The use of generative AI tools developed with specific sets of underlying scientific data that can be attributed, checked and verified for accuracy, provided that ethics, copyright and terms of use restrictions are adhered to.

Papers must be formatted using the Springer LNICST Authors’ Kit.

Instructions and templates are available from Springer’s LNICST homepage:

• LaTeX2e Proceedings Templates (zip)
• Microsoft Word Proceedings Templates (zip)

Please make sure that your paper adheres to the format as specified in the instructions and templates.

When uploading the camera-ready copy of your paper, please be sure to upload both:

• a PDF copy of your paper formatted according to the above templates, and
• an archive in .ZIP file, containing LaTeX or Word source material prepared according to the above guidelines.