Art, Technology, and the Body in Motion at Telfair Museums’ PULSE Festival

Telfair Museums’ annual PULSE Art and Technology Festival returns January 22–24 with interactive installations, digital media, performances, and STEAM-focused programming exploring art at the intersection of technology and the body.

Lobby of the Jepson Center for the Arts (Savannah). Photo by Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Telfair Museums will launch its 19th annual PULSE Art and Technology Festival on January 22, 2026, continuing a long-running Savannah tradition of bringing experimental art, emerging technologies, and community programming under one roof. The three-day festival runs January 22–24 at the Jepson Center and features exhibitions, performances, lectures, and hands-on experiences exploring how creativity and innovation shape the way we see and make art.

This year’s centerpiece is Biometric Sublime, an interactive installation by Dr. Bojana Ginn that translates the rhythms of the human body into a responsive, evolving visual ecosystem. The work uses a biometric sensor to amplify a viewer’s presence, turning each heartbeat into an unfolding visual expression. Sculptural components made from organic materials like sheep’s wool and jute are paired with synthetic elements, building a tactile environment that points to renewal, healing, and the relationship between the organic and the engineered.

Ginn emphasizes that the work depends on audience participation, describing the experience as an intimate, future-facing environment that needs the public to be complete. That audience-first approach fits the spirit of PULSE, a festival designed to make creative technology experiential rather than distant.

Alongside Biometric Sublime, PULSE will present The Body Electric, a curated selection of projects by Savannah-area artists working with video, AI, and interactivity. Featured artists include Joshua Alexander, Michael Betancourt, James Gladman, Melissa Huang, Antonia B. Larkin, Ned Shoai, Maia Storm, and Lisa Watson, among others.

Festival Highlights

Opening Night (Thursday, January 22, 5:30 p.m.) brings a reception, the unveiling of two new PULSE exhibitions, a VJ performance by the Medeology Collective, projections by Diana Reichenbach, Melissa Huang, and Michael Betancourt, and a 6:15 p.m. lecture by Bojana Ginn.

Friday, January 23 focuses on learning and conversation, including an 11 a.m. STEAM Talk for Students with Ginn and guests, followed by a 1 p.m. curator’s tour. The evening continues with PULSE @ Night and a 6:30 p.m. screening of the sci-fi classic Fantastic Planet.

Saturday, January 24 closes with programming for all ages, including a Free Family Day for local residents from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a 3 p.m. performance by the Tybee Ballet Theater.

Telfair Museums notes that STEAM education has been a foundational part of PULSE since its beginnings in 2007, introducing thousands of students and families to creative technology through accessible programming. With its mix of interactive installations and after-hours events, PULSE remains one of Savannah’s distinctive annual cultural touchpoints for contemporary media art.