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Long-distance LARPing is an ERASMUS+ funded artistic research project developed by Nerdlab and Sickhouse. Our primary question is how we can build physical and digital spaces that foster connection and self-expression and where agency remains in the hands of the participants.

We draw inspiration from live-action role-playing games (LARPs). Our goal is to synthesise LARP design practices into a methodology for youth workers, social workers, artists and experience designers to enrich their practices and provide more creative spaces for the groups they work with.

In the spring of 2018, Jana’s great-aunt Lucia made the conscious decision to stop taking her medications and passed away several days later. For reasons that initially seemed random, Jana’s grandmother tore apart every photograph in Lucia’s family archive and was about to throw them away until Jana stopped her. Ever since that moment, Romanova went on and on for years with attempts to repair what was left of those images. This work is ongoing research on the societal pressure to define one’s identity and worth through fitting into family expectations centered around work, level of income, successful marriages, and certain types of behaviors, exploring the emotional toll of feeling inadequate in a culture that prioritizes productivity and obedience above all.

In the role-playing experience, you are invited to collectively narrate a story of a family based on the pieces of torn-apart family photographs. You’ll create characters as family members, explore the secrets and dramatic events behind the photographs by playing out short scenes, and eventually discover the reason why and by whom the archive was destroyed.

Time: 4 hours
Participants: 5-15 (depending on the size of the space, possible to do even more)
Topics: family secrets, family archives, photography
Mood: sometimes serious, sometimes not
Set-up: any calm and quiet space with a table and five chairs (per group) and a table lamp

ArteForge is rooted in the creation of mythologies through crafting symbolic amulets, relics and magical objects.  
Beladrys’ methodology bridges 3D printing, nail art techniques, jewellery making, and creative world-building inspired by roleplay game mechanics.

Participants are invited to craft a magical object using upcycled materials, experimental processes, and intuitive crafting. Through hands-on exploration, forgotten elements are transformed, and matter becomes a vessel for meaning.
 It is a sensory and imaginative experience.
By activating intuition and engaging the senses, participants witness a new mythology emerging through their hands.   Each artefact becomes a portal revealing shared values, stories, and symbolic languages that can strengthen a community or define a world

The Line Is the Game is a short, comedy live-action role-playing game that turns the everyday frustration of waiting into something playful and a little chaotic developed by Jana Romanova. Get your role from the ticket machine and join the line — possibly for a bathroom, possibly for art. Complete your task and use your one-time superpower to change the line before the doors finally open. Tired of waiting? Step out, come back as someone new, and see whether how you wait is a more interesting story than what you’re waiting for.