S+T+ARTS Regional Centers | Repairing the Present

(Inter)active productive landscapes | Challenge nº1

How might digital technologies support citizens, policymakers, entrepreneurs & researchers in their ambition to create more balanced relations between nature & humans in the region of South-West Flanders?

Consortium Partner: Snowball & Gluon

EU Green Deal:GD6 Preserving and protecting biodiversity

Problem Statement

The world is in constant flux, and so are the natural environment & open spaces we are living in. How might digital technologies support citizens, policymakers, entrepreneurs & researchers in their ambition to create more balanced relations between nature & humans in the region of South-West Flanders?

Keywords

Open Space, Heterotopia, Biodiversity &/or Water management (quantity & quality), Activism & community building, Digital technologies (IoT, AI, VR / AR, blockchain)

Challenge Context

The open space is globally under threat. Every region is looking for the best solutions to tackle its particular, local challenges. The region of South West Flanders is marked by a network of blue & green veins, that carry specific challenges in the development of more sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, sustainable water management, the creation of multiple uses of open space and original approaches for re-forestation.

In line with the European Green Deal, the region aspires to a sustainable transition towards more balanced relations between nature & humans. The intermunicipal organisation Leiedal offers different opportunities and spots within the blue & green network in the South-West Flanders, as a testing ground for artists or artist collectives to deepen, broaden, imagine and/or accelerate this transition.

The artist is invited to select a particular opportunity for a more balanced relationship between nature & humans and will be involved in the selection of relevant sites. The aim of the fellowship is to develop an art project that raises awareness of the importance of the quality of the open space, supported by digital prototypes that offer concrete solutions for the challenge. The artist will be supported by tech experts in the fields of AI, IoT, blockchain, big data and visualisation technologies such as VR and AR. Citizen involvement and scalability of the outcome are important success factors for this project.

Fellowship Characteristics: network, opportunities, and expectations

During the fellowship, the artist will be supported by a Local Expert Group composed of local practitioners from the field of cleantech, data management, urban planning, blockchain, policy, energy management, AI, virtual & augmented reality and education.

Our fellowship partner is the intermunicipal organization Leiedal. The dynamic and durable development of South West Flanders as an attractive area for work, life and leisure, is core to Leiedals activities. The artist will get access to a series of sites (buildings and/or open spaces) in the region. Following a thorough introduction and research visit, the artist and the Local Expert Group will select one (or a series of) site/area in line with and most suited to the implementation of the project proposal.

Through the network of the hosting institutions, the artist will get access to local experts/companies/research institutions in the field of AI, IoT, blockchain, big data and visualisation technologies such as VR and AR. Specific expertise required by the artist for the implementation of the project will be evaluated by the Local Expert Group.

This Fellowship is highly collaborative, aimed at strengthening the quality of the open space in the region. It implies the involvement of local target groups (entrepreneurs, youngsters, policymakers and researchers) during the entire fellowship. It strives to develop a project with the potential of duplicability (tools, methods & outcome) to other sites and (European) regions after the completion of the fellowship.

The artist is expected to deliver a presentable prototype or an artwork that will be included in the final exhibition at MAXXI Rome and/or at ZKM Karlsruhe.

The artist is requested to travel to the region to attend meetings and events or to conduct field research at least 4 to 6 times during the fellowship.