XR Research Assistant
CINETic – UNATC / Digital Interaction Lab
Bucharest, Romania
Email: ciprian.facaeru@unatc.ro
Website: augmentedspaceagency.com
Biography
A pioneer of the XR scene, with over a decade of creative inquiry, design-led practice, and production at the forefront of emerging media technologies, Ciprian Fācāeru is an XR researcher, immersive space architect, augmented experience director and new media practitioner working at the intersection of arts, architecture, applied research and new media technologies. Co-founder of Augmented Space Agency and Space Continuum, and a research assistant within the Department of Research, Development and Innovation, CINETic – UNATC.
His practice investigates how contemporary technologies reconfigure perception, presence, interaction and the relationship between body, space and narrative. His doctoral research, “The Scenography of Augmented Space,” examined design practices at the intersection of performing arts and media technologies, focusing on new forms of immersive and interactive expression within a virtuality-reality spatial continuum.
His work spans artistic, educational, museological and scientific contexts, using augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, CAVE-VR systems, immersive projection, spatial interfaces, EEG technologies and generative artificial intelligence. Notable contributions include the concept and multimedia scenography of the theatre performance Reenactment, a production of National Theatre of Craiova and part of the European innovation project ACuTe – Culture Testbeds for Performing Arts and New Technology, and the virtual embodiment installation In Search of the Lost Body, part of You Are Another Me: A Cathedral of the Body, directed by Adina Pintilie and presented at the 59th Venice Biennale. He also played a leading role in developing the virtual component of the Museum of Abandonment, winner of the World Summit Awards (WSA) 2025, a project that maps the culture of abandonment in Romania and provides a historical narrative of the phenomenon. In the field of educational innovation, he contributed to projects such as the Digitaliada XR Resource Library, an initiative of the Orange Foundation, where he coordinated the design of XR-based educational content with freely accessible resources aligned with the school curriculum, facilitating students’ access to digital, interactive, and immersive learning experiences. In his research activity, he contributed to projects such as NEURESIL, where he coordinated the development of a virtual simulation environment with integrated EEG technology, designed to investigate neurophysiological markers of resilience and adaptation to stress in adolescents and young adults.
Research Interests
XR, AR, VR, MR and WebXR; virtual and hybrid architecture and scenography; immersive and interactive media design; interactive and participatory experiences; virtual embodiment; embodied presence; augmentation; new media dramaturgies; CAVE-VR systems; art–science–technology methodologies; mixed and virtual reality simulations for applied research; AI driven language interaction systems; generative AI in mixed and virtual production.
Education
National University of Theatre and Cinematographic Art “I.L. Caragiale” (UNATC)
Doctoral Studies in Cinematography and Media, 2017–2024
Thesis: “The Scenography of Augmented Space”
“Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM)
Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Programme in Architecture, 2008–2014
Teaching / Mentoring
Ciprian Fācāeru teaches and mentors through workshops and research laboratories dedicated to emerging technologies in performing arts, XR, AR, VR, virtual scenography and immersive experience design. He has coordinated workshops such as “Theatre & Technology” within Masca Lab and the FAR augmented reality workshop for emerging artists.
Selected Projects
Promptscenium — project coordination and research pilot design, CINETic UNATC, 2025
Reconstitution — virtual scenography and AR/VR/MR component design, Marin Sorescu National Theatre Craiova / ACuTe, 2023–2024
NEURESIL — virtual environment design and CAVE-VR application production, UNATC, 2022–2024
In Search of the Lost Body / You Are Another Me: A Cathedral of the Body — VR experience design, Venice Biennale, 2022
Museum of Abandonment — virtual museum architecture and VR experience design
Shakespeare Dimensions — CAVE-VR system architect and experience director, 2024
STAD — virtual environment design, UNATC / NTNU, 2019–2024
TabThePAST.IMMERSED — VR-MR experience direction and set design
Digitaliada XR — XR educational resource library design, Orange Foundation, 2025
Macbeth.0 — VR design, Masca Theatre, 2025–2026
Selected Publications
Făcăeru, C. (2026). Echoes and Innovations: A Case of Synthesis — Old and New Media Technologies in Theatre Scenography. In ACuTe Digital Theatre: A Casebook. European Theatre Convention / ACuTe.
Făcăeru, C. (2025). Stage design in the era of emerging technologies. Teatrul Azi, 7–8–9.
Făcăeru, C. (2024). Shakespeare și noile media. Teatrul Azi, 5–6.
Făcăeru, C. (2023). Another You – Virtual Embodiment Creative Practice. Concept, 27(2).
Făcăeru, C. (2022). Another You: Virtual Embodiment Phenomena. Concept, 25(2).