Sana Akram – Pakistani Urbanist, Media Maker, XR Creator: “I’m very much delighted by the idea of discovery” (StageLync Podcast Ep.50)
Sana Akram is a Pakistani urbanist, media maker, a Fulbright alum and an XR creator based in Toronto, Canada. In 2020, she graduated with an MS in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons School of Design, The New School, where she diversified her research-practice by implementing an interdisciplinary design approach.
Her award-winning interactive documentary, Little Pakistan – Future Histories, has showcased at several international festivals and her research has been published in Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate in Cinema and Media Studies at York University as a recipient of the prestigious Elia Scholars Program Award. Her research-creation interests include immersive storytelling and performance, oral tradition, worlding and worldbuilding, emergent media, cocreation, and civic engagement.
This podcast episode is a special feature highlighting the World Stage Design (WSD) Conference. The World Stage Design (WSD) Conference is held every four years—just like the Olympics—and 2025 is their year. World Stage Design is the only exhibition globally to showcase performance designs from individual designers. After successful shows in Toronto, Seoul, Cardiff, Taipei, and Calgary, the sixth edition of the event – WSD25 Sharjah, UAE, is its first time in an Arab country. The event is co-produced by the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) and the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT).The exhibition features three categories: Performance Design, Space and Object Design and Set, Sound, Costume, Lighting, and Video Design.Registration to WSD25 is now available via their website.
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Credits for the StageLync Podcast
Host: Anna Robb
Editor: Rose Anne Fermocil
Music: Jeremy Willi
Design: Em Holt
Production Coordinator: Roselle Bernardo
Producers: Anna Robb and Andrea Honis
Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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