About the team behind Escape Fake

#escapefake

We are an interactive design and technology studio that pairs creativity and technological innovation to create experience spaces in the real and virtual world. With over 20 years of work experience, we create meaningful and playful experiences in AR and VR that make products, concepts or brands stand out from the crowd. Well-crafted storytelling, state-of-the-art technology, and a gameful approach are underlying qualities that shape our products and services. Alongside our work for clients, we develop self-driven projects rooted in the sense of social responsibility about the role of technology in shaping a future world. 

Team

The Escape Fake development team covers a wide range of skills including creative production, design and development, media education and user-centred design. 

Irina Paraschivoiu

Irina Paraschivoiu

COO, Polycular; Co-initiator

Thomas Layer-Wagner

Thomas Layer-Wagner

CEO, Polycular; Co-initiator

Benjamin Arzt

Benjamin Arzt

Concept, Storytelling, 3D, Polycular

Tobias Hoffman

Tobias Hoffman

XR developer, Polycular

Julian Watzinger

Julian Watzinger

XR developer, Polycular

Patrick Obermüller

Patrick Obermüller

Game and web developer, Polycular

Victoria Götte

Victoria Götte

3D & technical artist, Polycularr

The initial Escape Fake team also included Polycular co-founder Robert Praxmarer (1976-2021), Simon Linder and Jürgen Brunner. Susanna Vogel and Lukas Rettenbacher supported us with the design and production of the Escape Fake exhibition. 

Partners

We are supported by our partners who bring complementary knowledge in co-design and citizen involvement, journalism and fact checking, media monitoring and teacher training. 

Dpa

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) is a European news agency committed to independent and reliable news journalism. dpa is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (and board member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. dpa trains journalists in fact-checking and is leading a number of international initiatives in media literacy. They are currently providing input for the content development of Escape Fake, and conducting a co-design process with journalists, educators and students in Germany.  Dpa team: Teresa Dapp, Tobias Schormann, Jan Ludwig, Jacqueline Rother, Kim Stowasser, René Schmidt. 

Waag Futurelab

Waag Futurelab is an Amsterdam-based foundation focusing on public research in the realms of technology and society. The organisation researches emerging technologies, experiments and designs alternatives based on public values and on civil society inclusion. In Escape Fake, the Maker Education Lab and the Future Internet Lab teams are involved, leading on the co-creation and co-design process with journalists, educators and students across three countries. Waag team: Eva Vesseur, Ashley Laflin, Julie NG, Danny Lammerhirt. 

La Fabbrica

is an independent international communication agency, working in the field of educational communication platforms and campaigns. La Fabbrica promotes Scuola.net, a community of over 200,000 teachers and a digital ecosystem for providing certified free training courses for teaching. LaFabbrica supported the development of the toolkit and led the development of the online course. La Fabbrica team: Alice Bovone, Roberta Franceschetti, Elisa Salamini, Carolina Borella, Giulia Tincani. 

Expert Forum

is a non-profit / think tank specialized in advocacy education, media literacy and active citizenship, collaborating with a range of institutions such as the European Commission, the World Bank and UNDP. Through the School for Democracy, they engage teachers and students in advocacy and media literacy education. Expert Forum team: Sorin Ionita, Madalina Voinea, Nicoleta Popescu, Stefan Popa. 

ProProgressione

is a non-profit organisation focusing on contemporary art production. Pro Progressione hosted the residency for artists and the creation of the independent artworks included in the Escape Fake exhibition. Pro Progressione team: Timea Kokai Nagy, Barna Petrány.