Bringing together art, technology and science, STARTS4Water aims to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our times: water management.

About

Water is Life. All living things need water to survive. Not only does the human body consist of 60 percent water, the resource is also essential for producing food, clothing, computers, moving our waste stream, and keeping us and the environment healthy. And yet, we do not have a sustainable approach towards this commodity.

STARTS4Water will support artists, researchers, technology experts and other stakeholders in finding a common ground and language to respond to regional water – related challengesFocusing on clean water as a basic right for all humans and on the conservation of life in our oceans, seas and marine life, STARTS4Water builds on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and especially on SDG 6 ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ and SDG 14 ‘Life Below Water’.

At the vital nexus between the local and the global and at the crossroads between art, industry and technology, 10 STARTS4Water residencies will critically engage with the environmental issues, transform how we manage our shared global environment and create new narratives and strategies to understand, value and manage water in a more inclusive, integrated and sustainable way. 101 events (conferences, network events, acceleration events, expert meetings, workshops, labs, summer schools, talks, presentations, exhibitions etc.) will contribute towards a sharing of knowledge about the local and regional water challenges in Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, Croatia and Italy between the communities and the industry, leading to a more complete picture of the needs and challenges and to better decisions both on the side of water utility as on the side of the user and citizen towards sustainable water management.

STARTS4Water will launch a call for 10 artistic residencies in July 2021. Water will be their common denominator, but the challenges will be rooted on local and regional realities. Most importantly, for the STARTS4Water Consortium, a sustainable water management relies on the change of behavior of individuals. Therefore, through a series of STARTS Academy workshops, intersectorial and transversal networking activities, field expeditions and discussions engaging local communities, STARTS4Water will engage with wider communities and propose new narratives to inform and communicate on a common challenge.

The partners

The STARTS4Water Consortium is lead by Luca School of Arts, and counts on the participation of Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto, (IT), V2_Lab for the Unstable Media (NL), UrbanDig project (GR), UR Institute (HR) and TBA21.

++ LUCA School of Arts is the only university college in Flandres exclusively dedicated to art and design, making it unique the region. The art school combines the strengths and expertise of fie renowned Flemish higher education institutions for art and design, spread across Brussels, Genk, Ghent and Leuven. 

++ Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto Onlus is an innovative model of artistic cultural institution which places art in direct interaction with all the different sectors of society for a real change of it.Cittadellarte is a foundation of contemporary art, a school, a think tank, a network of community projects, known throughout the world through the symbol “Third Paradise”.Cittadellarte has worked and teamed up with science and technology organizations, with a specific expertise in sustainability in the textile and garments value chain, transportation, architecture, food and agriculture. 

Since 2015 Cittadellarte has carried out structured workshops around the world involving delegates from civil society, enterprises, scientist, innovators and third sector organizations active on UN Agenda 2030 to find, share and perform practices of responsibility and sustainability. 

++ V2_, Lab for the Unstable Media is an interdisciplinary center for art and media technology in Rotterdam (the Netherlands). V2_ presents, produces, archives and publishes research at the interface of art, technology and society. Founded in 1981, V2_ offers a platform for artists, designers, scientists, researchers, theorists, and developers of software and hardware from various disciplines to discuss their work and share their findings. In V2_’s view, art and design play an essential role in the social embedding of technological developments. V2_ creates a context in which issues regarding the social impact of technology are explored through critical dialogue, artistic reflection and practice-oriented research. 


++ UR Institute is
a non-profit  NGO  think  tank for independent interdisciplinary applied scientific research, production of related projects  and  advocacy  of  use  of  STEAM in sustainable development. UR Institute operations are project and program based, and non-profit oriented. The institute affiliates  a  highly  diverse  interdisciplinary  group  of  personnel  and  associates  with backgrounds in various fields of science, technology, engineering, culture, art, economy and related affairs thus incubating a collective for transdisciplinary work. Main areas of research are contemporary fields of life & technical sciences. UR Institute relies on active engagement, interaction and collaboration with citizens in the goal of participative research and “design with the users” development of socially useful innovations which can benefit mankind. UR Institute supports & promotes; Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Do-It-With-Others (DIWO) culture, freedom of  knowledge  &  learning,  and  culture  of  science.  UR  Institute  infrastructure  is composed of facilities in Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia

++Ohi Pezoume is an a non-for-profit artistic and community organisation based in Athens, Greece since 2004. Ohi Pezoume has developed UrbanDig Project, an artistic/research/community platform which acts within the intersection of qualitative research, artistic interventions and community actions. During each UrbanDig project, community engagement and participatory mapping practices serve as foundation for  building site-specific  performances in public space. UrbanDig Project employs art and intangible cultural heritage as a common language that becomes a tool for the community to co-create urban space.

++ TBA21–Academy is a contemporary art organization and cultural ecosystem fostering a deeper relationship to the Ocean through the lens of art to inspire care and action. For a decade, we have been an incubator for collaborative research, artistic production, and new forms of understanding by combining art, science, and other knowledge systems, intertwining imagination and possibility in regenerative relationships, resulting in exhibitions, research, and policy interventions. In 2019, the Academy has launched two initiatives to share its research and practice with the wider public: the physical venue Ocean Space in Venice, and the digital platform Ocean Archive. In 2020, the Academy introduced a new funded research opportunity, the Ocean Fellowship Program, and Ocean / Uni, a curriculum providing students, researchers, and the public with wide-ranging and accessible explorations of the changes taking place throughout the oceans at a high level of expertise.