creating interactive mapping installations that weave virtual and physical worlds. With an experimental approach and bold imagination, he embraces emerging technologies to craft impactful, future-facing experiences.
Official opening ceremony of Eleusis 2023 - European Capital of Culture
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Petko Tanchev (b. 1985, Plovdiv, Bulgaria) holds a master’s degree in Scenography from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia (2010) and a Ph.D. in Digital Arts (2023). His work integrates digital content into stage productions and public art, exploring the intersections of technology, space, and perception.
Since 2008, he has contributed to a wide range of productions and exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad—across galleries, museums, festivals, and commercial contexts. Notable early projects include his debut as a stage designer for Four Rooms at Theatre Sofia (2009), which received two Icarus Awards for Scenography and Technical Implementation, and the large-scale interactive installation Cnnctr (2015). From 2016 to 2019, he curated the Creative Media Lab at the Night of Museums in Plovdiv.
Self-portrait captured with a Kinect sensor
Petko Tanchev co-founded the creative
collectives Melformator (2013) and Senselab Studio (2019), the latter of which
has developed immersive interactive experiences for global brands such as
Porsche, Audi, and The Coca-Cola Company.
An active contributor to Bulgaria’s cultural life, Tanchev played a key role in realising major events in the Plovdiv 2019 – European Capital of Culture program. He created the visual environment for Odysseus at Plovdiv Drama Theatre, a production presented in Budapest, Athens, and Veles, which won several festival awards. His scenography for Madame Butterfly at the State Opera Plovdiv received the Plovdiv Prize for Audiovisual Arts. At the same time, his interactive media design for the Opening Gala of Opera Open was awarded in the Contemporary Multi-genre Arts category.
Audiovisual exhibition 2019 Synergy of the Future, author project by Petko Tanchev, part of the program Legacy of Foundation Plovdiv 2019 - European Capital of Culture, photo Boris Urumov, 2022
Scenography & projection design for Madame Butterfly, performance by State Opera Plovdiv, director Nina Naydenova, photo Alexander Bogdan Thompson, 2018
Interactive installation Conquer the Future, project by Petko Tanchev and Senselab studio for creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi and Renault Bulgaria, 2018
Scenography, costumes & interactive projection design for Constellations, performance in National Theatre Ivan Vazov Sofia, director Elitsa Yovcheva, photo Stefan Zdraveski, Bulgaria, 2024
Interactive projection mapping CNNCTR, author project by Petko Tanchev and Melformator collective for One Design Week, photo Maritsa Kolcheva, 2015
Projection mapping by Petko Tanchev for the International Light Art Festival in Chongqing, China, 2023
Tanchev has collaborated internationally with studios, artists, and directors from the USA, China, Argentina, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Poland, Malta, and beyond. His work has been presented at exhibitions and video mapping festivals in Beijing, Chongqing, and Yifeng; media and technology shows in Las Vegas and London; and large-scale cultural events in Buenos Aires, Dublin, Valletta, Berlin, and Stuttgart.
In 2022, he created the visual environment for the opening of the Tesla Light Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, part of the
official Novi Sad 2022—European Capital of Culture program. The following
year, he designed lighting and projection mapping for Mystery 0—Mysteries of
Transition, a special event for the Opening ceremony of Eleusis
2023—European Capital of Culture in Greece.
Tanchev is currently a stage designer at the State Opera Plovdiv. He also teaches at the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts in Plovdiv and the National Academy of Arts in Sofia.
Body Interactivity Lab Artist Residency, organized by UCLA REMAP, University of California, Los Angeles and CheLA Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018
Interactive visuals for Arc, dance performance by Aerial Cirque, Culture Night Dublin, photo Rick Larkin, Ireland, 2018
Interactive projection design for Odysseus, performance by Drama Theatre Plovdiv, director Diana Dobreva, photo Alexander Bogdan Thompson, 2019
Interactive projection mapping for Doors of Dream, performance by State Opera Plovdiv, photo Alexander Bogdan Thompson, 2021
Scenography & projection design for The Addams Family, performance by State Opera Plovdiv, director Petar Odazhiev, photo Zdravka Kokalova, 2023