Hungry EcoCities

Hungry EcoCities aims at exploring one of the most pressing challenges of our times: the need for a more healthy, sustainable, responsible, and affordable agri-food system for all.

Hungry EcoCities puts forward a high-level alliance between science, technology, and the arts, to effectively explore how digital technologies & applications can lead in turn to reduced food waste, more sustainable value chains, eco-friendly attitudes, and more ethical food consumption. How can we develop ways of creating a more healthy, sustainable, and affordable agri-food system for all?

In Hungry EcoCities, studios, universities, growers, and agricultural specialists team up with, artists and creative thinkers to come up with new ideas for the future food system. Hungry EcoCities will host 20 S+T+ARTS residencies and will be working towards defining, designing, and developing AI-enabled responsible, art-driven solutions for the end-users in the agri-food industries.

We work around the igniting question: ‘How can increased awareness and technological tools impact a future where we use resources responsibly to produce and consume food?

HUNGRY ECOCITIES project overview

Hungry EcoCities focusses it’s approach around three directions for experimentation:  

MEGA SCALE   

EatThis Knowledge Hub Netherlands: led by EatThis, Stephan Petermann and Rem Koolhaas.

LOCAL CONDITIONS 

Studio Other Spaces Knowlege Hub Germany: led by Studio Other Spaces, founded by Sebastian Behmann and Olafur Eliasson.

CITY+FARMING SYNERGIES 

Carlo Ratti Associati Knowledge Hub Italy: led by Carlo Ratti Associati partners Monika Löve and Daniele Belleri.

Duration: September 2022 – February 2026
Consortium: Brno University of Technology (coord., CZ), KU Leuven Institute Leuven.AI (BE) , CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati (IT), Studio Other Spaces (GE), In4Art (NL), Mendel University (CZ), NethWork (NL), FundingBox (PL) and supported by Gluon (BE).
Management Contact Person:Pavel Smrž

OPEN CALL 1

The first open call selected 10 artists, that are interested in exploring digital questions utilizing a mix of technology and art, and will work on artistic agri-food AI usability explorations.

Read more on our Humanizing Technology Experiments winning projects:

+ ACOUSTIC AGRICULTURE  
By Helena Nikonole 

+ CULINARY JOURNEYS  
By Jeroen van der Most 

+ ECOSHROOM  
By Ivan Henriques 

FOOD DYSMORPHIA  
By Bernat Cuní

+ FUTURE PROTEIN 
By IM-A Studio 

+ LOW CARBON CLIMATE COOKBOOK  
By Ling Tan 

 + MVP x FFF  
By The Center for Genomic Gastronomy 

SYMBIOSIS.AI  
By Frederik De Wilde 

+ SYMPOSIO 
By Yiannis Kranidiotis 

+ THE COUNCIL OF FOODS  
By Nonhuman Nonsense 

The Residencies

Hungry EcoCities residencies will be conducted in close collaboration with AI and digital tech researchers at KU Leuven institute Leuven.AI, the Brno University of Technology, AgriTech researchers at Mendel University in Brno, Art and Design studios Studio Other Spaces and CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati, Institute for art-driven innovation In4Art, Controlled Environment Agriculture network organisation EatThis, funding specialists FundingBox and Gluon Centre for Art Research and Education.

UPDATES & ARTICLES

Humanizing Technology: Introducing the Visionary Winners of Hungry EcoCities’ 1st Open Call for proposals
Hungry EcoCities: OPEN CALL 1 Update
Open Call for Artists ○ Hungry EcoCities S+T+ARTS Residencies
S+T+ARTS Hungry EcoCities: Mega Scale, Local Conditions and City+Farming Synergies
S+T+ARTS Hungry EcoCities: Food for the future

OPEN CALL 2

Paths to Progress Experiments to have AI-enabled use scenario prototypes tested in real environments.

–> Opens in 2024

The second open call will select 10 industrial end-user/SMEs from the agri-food sector and 10 artists that jointly will work on AI enabled use scenario prototypes and awareness-raising artworks that (1) make the food chain more transparent, inclusive, and sustainable, (2) build connections between different stakeholders in the food chain; and (3) promote more informed and sustainable consumption patterns.

CONTACT

MANAGEMENT
Pavel Smrž
smrz@fit.vutbr.cz

RESIDENCIES
Rodolfo Groenewoud van Vliet
rodolfo@in4art.eu

CONSORTIUM
Brno University of Technology (coord., CZ)
KU Leuven (BE)
Carlo Ratti Associati (IT)
Studio Other Spaces (GE)
In4Art (NL)
Mendel University (CZ)
NethWork (NL)
FundingBox (PL)

This HungryEcoCities project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement 101069990.