Research Centre for Humanities

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peter Purg

peterpurg

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peter Purg

Associate Professor
peter.purg@ung.si
SICRIS

Research activity

Peter Purg is an artist, curator, researcher and higher-education practitioner working across media and research-based art, ecological humanities, media ecology, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. He holds a PhD in media art, communication science and literary studies from the University of Erfurt (Germany). His research connects artistic research methods with questions of ecology, technology, community practices, education and social innovation; his artistic formats include performance, lecture-performance, intermedia installation and public-space intervention.

At the Research Centre for Humanities, he is a member of the ARIS research programme Transdisciplinary Research of Identities and Cultures (P6-0461, 2026–2027). In 2024–2026 he led the ARIS bilateral project with Cornell University (USA), Investigative and Community Art as Ecological Avant-garde (BI-US/24-26-048). He co-leads the UNG team in the Horizon Europe MSCA project THE MAKERS – Mobilizing Arts, Knowledge and Education to Reclaim Human Agency. Strategies for the Age of Machine Thinking (2026–2030), which starts on 1 September 2026. In 2024–2026 he also collaborated on the Interreg Danube project DECORATOR.

Within the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia, he led the curatorial board of the 26th international festival of contemporary art practices Pixxelpoint 2025 and, in 2022–2025, led or curated the PostMobility and xMobil programmes at the intersections of art, science, technology and community practice. The 33 productions are documented in the bilingual programme book [xMobil] from Xcenter [& PostMobil]ity (2025). His current artistic research also develops through the HydraHacks performance series (2026–2027).

He is active in cultural and higher-education policy, evaluation and quality assurance. From 2019 to 2022 he served as President of the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (NAKVIS) and as a member of the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia. He co-authored Slovenia’s National Higher Education Programme 2021–2030 and works as an external evaluator and expert in European research, education and cultural programmes, as well as on expert and curatorial bodies across art, science and technology.

Research areas and keywords

digital, intermedia and research-based art; media ecology and ecocriticism; ecological humanities; art–science–technology; avant-garde and experimental artistic practices; participatory and community art; artistic research methods; cross-sector collaboration and social innovation; digital culture; curriculum development; higher-education quality; education and cultural policy.

Selected scientific publications

  • PURG, Peter, PRANJIĆ, Kristina, ČUČEK GERBEC, Jernej. Toward a collaborative innovation paradigm: maker culture, art thinking, and interdisciplinary education. Creative Industries Journal, 2025. DOI: 10.1080/17510694.2025.2525648. [COBISS.SI-ID 243583235].
  • PURG, Peter. Quality beyond borders: integrating art thinking and innovation in European higher education through the MAP and MAST curricula case studies. In: Learning outcomes and teaching quality in higher education: alternative visions in digitalism: path to recognition-validation-accreditation. Istanbul: RoyalPlato, 2025, pp. 39–59. [COBISS.SI-ID 258165251].
  • PERESIN MEDEN, Nikita, PRANJIĆ, Kristina, PURG, Peter. Taming the forest: embracing the complexity of art-sci research through microhistory, bioeconomics and intermedia art. Technoetic Arts, 2024, 22(1), pp. 57–73. DOI: 10.1386/tear_00122_1. [COBISS.SI-ID 200311043].
  • PURG, Peter, CACCIATORE, Silvia, ČUČEK GERBEC, Jernej. Establishing ecosystems for disruptive innovation by cross-fertilizing entrepreneurship and the arts. Creative Industries Journal, 2023, 16(2), pp. 115–145. DOI: 10.1080/17510694.2021.1969804. [COBISS.SI-ID 74714371].
  • PURG, Peter. Dancing sympathy beyond human failure: artistic research as cosmopolitical defuturing. HUB: Journal of Research in Art, Design and Society, 2023, 1(0). [COBISS.SI-ID 155781123].
  • PRANJIĆ, Kristina, PURG, Peter. Spreminjanje imaginarija napredka in rasti v avantgardnih in intermedijskih umetniških praksah. Primerjalna književnost, 2023, 46(3), pp. 21–39. DOI: 10.3986/pkn.v46.i3.02. [COBISS.SI-ID 172938243].
  • PURG, Peter et al. Progressive pedagogies for innovation among art, science and technology: the case of mastmodule.eu. Artseduca, 2022, 32, pp. 209–222. [COBISS.SI-ID 112877571].

Selected research, artistic-research and editorial outputs — 2025

  • PURG, Peter. Karst to cosmos: reimagining ecosystems and ecological fragility in space narratives with Astrotop_X. Published scientific conference abstract, TTT 2025, p. 96. [COBISS.SI-ID 249648131].
  • PURG, Peter. Unlearning taboo at 2023 TTT. In: Taboo Transgression Transcendence in Art & Science 2023: Conference Proceedings. Corfu: Ionian University, 2025, pp. 396–412. [COBISS.SI-ID 237245955].
  • PURG, Peter. Graditelji mostov = Bridge builders. Chemnitz, 2025. Artistic work. [COBISS.SI-ID 228603139].
  • PURG, Peter, JARC, Pavla (eds.). Resonančne resničnosti v Četrtem prostoru = Resonating realities in the Fourth space. Catalogue of the 26th Pixxelpoint festival, 2025. ISBN 978-961-6783-35-4. [COBISS.SI-ID 255679235].
  • PURG, Peter, STUBELJ ARS, Mojca (eds.). xMobil iz Xcentra & PostMobilnost = [xMobil] from Xcenter [& PostMobil]ity: programme book 2022–2025. Nova Gorica: GO! 2025, 2025. ISBN 978-961-96889-4-6. [COBISS.SI-ID 260538627].

Selected projects

  • THE MAKERS – Mobilizing Arts, Knowledge and Education to Reclaim Human Agency. Strategies for the Age of Machine Thinking, Horizon Europe MSCA, 2026–2030; University of Nova Gorica beneficiary; Peter Purg co-leads the UNG team.
  • Transdisciplinary Research of Identities and Cultures (P6-0461), ARIS research programme, 2026–2027; researcher.
  • Investigative and Community Art as Ecological Avant-garde (BI-US/24-26-048), ARIS bilateral project with Cornell University (USA), 2024–2026; project lead.
  • DECORATOR – Danubians Cradle-to-Cradle Architecture and Construction Processes, Interreg Danube Region, 2024–2026; UNG collaborator.
  • PostMobility and xMobil, official European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia programmes, 2022–2025; lead/curator.
  • Pixxelpoint 2025 – Resonating Realities in the Fourth Space, 26th International Festival of Contemporary Art Practices; head of curatorial board / co-conceiver.
  • MAST – Module in Art, Science and Technology; KONS – Platform for Investigative Arts; DIVA – Art:Biz Innovation Ecosystem; earlier international projects led by Peter Purg or by the UNG team under his leadership.

Leadership and professional roles

  • New Media module lead, School of Arts, University of Nova Gorica (2009–).
  • Dean of the School of Humanities, University of Nova Gorica (2022–2025).
  • President of the Council of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (NAKVIS) (2019–2022).
  • Member of the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia (until 2022).
  • Chair of the UNG Quality Assurance Committee

Awards

Prometheus of Science for Excellence in Communication, Slovenian Science Foundation, 2011.

Short CV

Peter Purg works at the University of Nova Gorica across the School of Arts and the School of Humanities. His research, artistic, curatorial and teaching practice spans digital and intermedia art, ecological humanities, media ecology, interdisciplinary innovation and art–science–technology. He has led or co-led international projects in research, art and education and works as an evaluator, expert-body member and adviser in higher-education quality.

His long-term activities include the development of the New Media module at the School of Arts, coordination of international educational and artistic-research networks, and curatorial work. In 2025 he led the Pixxelpoint curatorial board and concluded the multi-year PostMobility and xMobil programmes; from 2026 his artistic research continues also through the HydraHacks performance series.