Lecture at Utrecht University – Griefbots in Research and on the Stage

May 2026 Utrecht – The seminar “Griefbots in Research and on Stage” looked at the intersection of grief and technology through the lens of performance and artistic research.

What kind of phenomena are griefbots? What do they do to the process of grief and mourning? How can theater provide a space for investigating this, and make the consequences of such technical innovations relatable and experiential?

The lecture was opened by dramaturg-researcher at UQC Sorcha Ní Bhraonáin who situated griefbots within longer histories of death and technology. Artistic director Ulrike Quade then discussed the making of Roman & ELIZA and the performance’s use of puppetry, scenography, and digital technologies. The final lecture was given by media and performance studies artist-scholar Evelyn Wan (UU) who broadened the discussion of grief beyond bereavement after death, asking whose grief becomes visible, recognizable, and technically supported in the first place.

These three presentations were followed by a conceptual mapping exercise in small groups who were invited to speculatively design what a griefbot could look like, sound like, feel like and what it should never attempt to do. The event was organized by professor and PI of Dramaturgy for Devices Maaike Bleeker and media and performance scholar and project member Laura Karreman who also moderated the event.