Research Nights: Role Play and the Bleeding Edge of Design

New forms of role-playing have emerged in contemporary culture, inviting us to experiment with immersion, imagination and artifice. Join this Research Night and discover how role-playing creates new worlds.

Step into our magic circle and join OMSK Social Club and other guests as we explore the possibilities and limitations of role-playing as a social and artistic practice. The evening will be facilitated by james taylor-foster. Every version of yourself is welcome!

OMSK Social Club
The OMSK Social Club brings people together to tell stories through ‘real game play’, a method of improvisation and immersion in which participants imagine and create new worlds. From these live sessions they draw inspiration for films, scripts and video installations that explore the boundaries between fiction and reality, and test virtual identities, popular experiences and possible futures.

james taylor-foster
james taylor-foster is a writer, cultural critic and curator of design and digital culture, with a background in architecture. At the Nieuwe Instituut, they are researching and curating the exhibition Worldglimpsing: Role Play and the Design of Alternate Realities.

Worldglimpsing
Worldglimpsing: Role Play and the Design of Alternate Realities is a collaboration between the Nieuwe Instituut and the ArkDes centre for architecture and design in Stockholm. Two exhibitions will explore how we create and experience alternative worlds. The first, at ArkDes, opens on 3 October 2025, with the second opening in the autumn of 2026 at the Nieuwe Instituut.

Research Nights
These recurring events offer an insight into ongoing research at the Nieuwe Instituut. In an intimate and interactive setting, participants can share ideas through conversations, workshops, films and other experimental activities. Join us, and contribute to collective research.

Make your evening complete!
Combine this event with a visit to our exhibitions – admission to the museum is free on Thursday evenings. Fancy a bite to eat? Join us in the Nieuwe Café!