Meet the
team
Amanda Ishøy
Process Facilitator
Background
I have a Masters in Cultural Encounters & Educational Studies, with a focus on
Gender, Diversity & Minorities. I have many years of volunteering experience in
various organizations, where I was the main coordinator and facilitator. I’m
experienced in creating diverse learning processes.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
My role in Enact:Lab is to facilitate processes, workshops, meetings etc. In a project I’ll be the one trying to create an overview and make the process as smooth and meaningful as possible. If there is need for reflection or discussion, I will try to make a creative and open space. I am very visual in my ways of working and help with loads of graphic design.
What motivates you in your work?
Being in creative and collaborative processes highly motivates me. The collaborative energy when things fall into place for everyone, is magic to me! Being very visual in my work in general, once things start taking shape, I can more clearly see and understand the journey ahead. It motivates me to stay focused and with the process.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
When I am not at work, I enjoy going for walks by the beach, watching TV and
hanging out in my collective. To keep my skills evolved I sing in a women’s choir and study Spanish, I’m also authoring a book about the Danish drag community with my friend.
Daniel Oxenhandler
Head of Cultural Projects & Filmmaker
Background
I am a filmmaker and interdisciplinary cultural producer. I have directed and produced a variety of independent film and video projects, ranging from featurelength documentaries and short narrative films, to short music films and travelogues. As an interdisciplinary producer, I have played a leading role in designing, curating, and organizing international arts, culture, and innovation festivals and projects (theater, music, etc.) across the world – in Brazil, Mexico, India, Spain, the US etc.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
In Enact:Lab I serve as Head of Cultural Projects and focus on developing interdisciplinary arts projects which bring together unique intersections of film, media, and technology; arts and culture; academic research; and community, to explore complex social issues across cultures and geographies. As a filmmaker I work on building bridges between diverse aspects of human experience and knowledge through the medium of documentary film.
What motivates you in your work?
I’m driven by people, culture, and conversation – finding creative ways to bring different communities of people together to create deeper understandings of ourselves and the world around us. I’m driven by exploring how we can bring together arts, activism, and research to provide platforms that help re-imagine the relationships between mind and body, individual and community, knowledge, and action.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
When I’m not working, I appreciate getting lost in the flow of creativity – playing/listening to music, reading books/writing poems, watching/making films. I also love making time to get out of my head and into my body – through meditation, exercise, and the occasional swim in the cold sea. And of course, there are few things I love more than a quality conversation over a cup of tea!
Elīna Bresle
Cultural Projects Assistant
Background
In addition to my work at Enact:Lab, I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Global Health, with a focus on research and design of culturally sensitive multi-level and multi-approach interventions that aim to improve health among underrepresented communities. For the past 5 years I have worked and volunteered for different organizations supporting the planning and design of programs that sit at the intersection of arts and promotion of mental wellbeing.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
My role in Enact:Lab is to support the investigation and learning processes in projects that are at the intersection of arts and mental health research.
What motivates you in your work?
I have a very deep love for learning, but what motivates me the most is that the knowledge I help to acquire in my work is not only made for the sake of learning, but it also contributes to real actions and change.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
When I am not at work, you can find me either in my studio doing some arts and crafts projects, re-watching Harry Potter for the 100th time or dancing my soul out at an Ecstatic dance event.
Emilie Lund Palsøe
Diversity specialist & researcher
Background
I have a Master’s in Philosophy from Copenhagen University and Bachelor’s in Social Science and Philosophy from Roskilde University Center. I work as a volunteer in the Danish thinktank Tora, and I help around in the organization Everyday Sexism Project.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
In Enact:Lab I do research on different projects that involve diversity. More specifically my work consists of in-depth analysis of complex issues, concepts, and the underlying structures of themes such as engagement and inclusion of various kinds of people in architecture, health, youth communities, companies etc. I ‘translate’ analytical perspectives to direct practical use in political issues, humanistic community initiatives, consulting work and communication.
What motivates you in your work?
I’m very interested in diversity and how we can create a world that makes room for equality and respect for diversity no matter gender, physical or cognitive abilities, age, skin color, etc. Through diverse experiences with different kinds of people living different kinds of lives, I think that we can open people’s perspectives of the world. If these social experiences are successful, it can bring about more acceptance of diversity for the people involved and it can slowly start changing dominating and discriminating structures in society.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
I love napping, doing yoga, running, and hanging out with my boyfriend, my family and all their animals.
Kristian Møller Moltke Martiny
Partner & Head of Research
Background
I have an interdisciplinary research background with a Master’s in Philosophy and Anthropology, a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Neuroscience, and a four-year post.doc, working within psychology and sociology. My research has been conducted primarily within healthcare working with people with brain damage, physical disability, and mental illness. In addition to my research, I have worked three years as head of department at a healthcare institute, co-founded four research-based organizations, and been part of board of directors at several organizations within the consultancy and cultural industry.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
In Enact:Lab I wear two hats, one as a partner and one as head of research. As a partner I work with the overall development of Enact:Lab as a new form of consultancy and lab for sustainable change. This means building an organization where the research we produce in the lab can be translated through consultancy into the concrete actions that will drive the changes that we aspire to make. As head of research, I work with the research team to conduct in-depth research that is the knowledge foundation for driving sustainable change. My job here is to make sure that the research is conducted rigorously and that it is based on the lived experience of the people we work with and for.
What motivates you in your work?
I’m highly motivated by trying to solve or overcome very complex challenges and problems that affect many people, but at the same time are almost impossible to deal with. Any possible solutions would require a change in mindset, strategies, approaches, tools, etc. The process leading to such a change would require explorative and creative collaboration and co-creation between many different actors, partners, and stakeholders. Designing and achieving such meaningful changes – while going through open and sometimes daunting and chaotic processes – is what motivates me.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
I love spending time with my two kids and wife at our farm outside Copenhagen. This time is spent by doing something outside that gets me out of my head. We have 35 horses, so I do a lot of stable-boy and handyman tasks, but I also go for walks or running in the forest next to our farm, and I play with the kids in the fields.
Mathilde Ganer-Tolsøe Demant
Researcher & Project Coordinator
Background
I am currently studying for my master’s degree in Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, where I also did my bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. My main philosophical interests lie in the fields of Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. I am particularly interested in notions of embodied and enactive cognition and collectivity – especially when applied to non-philosophical topics, i.e., working with embodied reading.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
In Enact:Lab, I work with research processes & project coordination. They call me the Data-DJ, since I usually assist in research projects with qualitative data generation and analysis. In my work as a project coordinator, I work partly with project planning, managing, and creating overviews.
What motivates you in your work?
Two things I get highly motivated about are 1) working with clarity and overview and 2) working together with my colleagues in the process of creating clarity and overview. I especially enjoy in-depth research processes working with clarification of concepts and making abstract notions accessible for people outside research projects, regardless of their backgrounds.
Getting to use philosophical concepts and discussions in a meaningful way in cultural projects is what makes my day.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
Outside my work in Enact:Lab and philosophy, I love to play music with my friends. I also enjoy literature in all forms, either reading or writing, alone or in reading groups with others.
Morten Kristensen
Partner & CEO
Background
I have a background in marketing and communication and have held senior leadership positions in several companies. My leadership experience spans across international agencies, local independent agencies, and start-ups. I have been leading and implementing internal change projects for +15 years, both in local units and on the group level. I have extensive experience working as trusted advisor for the biggest local, Nordic and pan-regional companies.
What are you working with in Enact:Lab?
My job is divided between being responsible for the operations in Enact:Lab and working closely with our clients on various projects. On the internal side of Enact:Lab, my job is to make sure we deliver high value to our clients and that we have an organization that is the best possible place to work for all our employees. On the external side, my job is to make sure our work delivers the intended changes and value to our clients. And that covers everything for scoping projects, developing strategies, and making sure the implementation of learnings is done in the best way possible.
What motivates you in your work?
My three main motivations in my work in Enact:Lab are: 1) Creating a workplace that is truly inclusive and diverse and sets a new standard for everything from decision making processes to how we co-create as a team. 2) Creating change – and not only change but making sure everything we do is scalable and can benefit as many people as possible. 3) Proving that creating change and running a professional service company are not each in opposition to each other but can be seen as deeply complementary.
What do you love doing when you are not at work?
I spend a lot of time with my family, and I spend a lot of time (and money) on making food and buying various tools for my kitchen. Just ask around at Enact:Lab. The absolute best time for me is to prepare and eat a meal with family or some friends, while listening to some good music. I also have a coaching gig on the side, where I coach mainly CEO´s and company founders on work related topics and wellbeing.