WeSTART sessions 2021!
Since its beginning, the S+T+ARTS programme has been exploring how the combination of arts, science and technology can help us to create a better, more sustainable future. The current crisis and the need for new sustainable solutions amplifies the importance of S+T+ARTS as never before. As a response to the COVID crisis we started the first WeSTART sessions in spring 2020. Now it is time for new season that promises to unveil more about the impact of S+T+ARTS and contribute to strengthen and support its growing community. Alongside the best S+T+ARTS projects and cutting-edge speakers, the upcoming programme also wants to provide a place for our community to network and discuss.
Reflecting this, we introduce two formats of monthly online talks and conversations:
- FOCUS ON: feature some of the best speakers and S+T+ARTS projects, aimed at showing the impact of S+T+ARTS in diverse domains of society.
- COMMUNITY GATHERING: during these monthly sessions, we invite our registered community members to join us for an open and informal discussion. This is the place where we like to share thoughts, practice new forms of collective thinking and provide a platform for creating new inspiring connections.
Below you can discover the next dates and learn more the topics we will explore.
WeSTART programme
February 9th – 6 PM CET [COMMUNITY GATHERING]
Review/Rewind 2020
On 9 February, we hosted a session that explored how the past year has impacted artists, their practice, work and collaborations. During this WeSTART session, we invited the S+T+ARTS community for an online meet-up and exchange of ideas. We invited a number of you to present your work/a project/a partnership that has emerged during the last year and to participate in a conversation about the impacts of lockdown economically, personally and artistically.
Discover the details on how to attend the session or present on the day here
February 23rd — 5 PM CET [FOCUS ON]
In conversation with Claudia Schnugg
Dr. Claudia Schnugg is a curator and producer of art and science collaboration and a researcher in the intersections of art and aesthetics with science, technology, and business.
In this session, Claudia shared her thoughts on how art-science collaboration can bring value to science and technology organizations. Using real-life examples alongside cutting edge research, she presented a number of cases where these interactions have fostered creativity and led to heightened innovation and value for organizations. This session is part of a series aimed exploring the STARTS collaboration toolkit.
See the agenda of the session here
March 9th – 6 PM CET [COMMUNITY GATHERING]
Reset into the Future: 2021 and Beyond
This session explored how artists and science/ tech collaborators have / are resetting their practice, work and collaborations to address the future challenges of 2021 and beyond – addressing post-pandemic recovery, ongoing claimte change and resilience, political division, rascism and fascism, and more.
During this WeSTART session, we invited S+T+ARTS community members for an online meet-up and exchange of ideas. STARTS teams presented their work, hatching for future development on issues / challenges for the future and possibly looking for a collaborator to help. They as well participated in a general conversation about the future solutions and roads to recovery: economically, socially, personally, artistically, technologically, environmentally and health-wise.
See the agenda of the session here
March 16th — 5 PM CET [FOCUS ON]
S+T+ARTS impact on Manufacturing
Advanced technologies are rapidly changing a growing number of manufacturing sectors. Manufacturing is no longer about making physical products. Changes in consumer demand, the nature of products, the economics of production, and the economics of the supply chain have led to a fundamental shift in the way companies do business. As a response to this S+T+ARTS engages industry, technology, end-users, and artists in a broad artistic exploration of technologies with the aim of creating novel sustainable products, processes and services that respond better to human needs. This session will bring together experts from the S+T+ARTS projects Better Factory, Re-Fream and Vojext.
See the agenda of the session here
April 13th – 6 PM CET [COMMUNITY GATHERING]
New Strategies for Collaboration
This time we will be hosting a session that will explore how collaborators have developed new techniques for collaborating or have used our Toolkit and found themselves doing things they hadn’t considered before.
During this WeSTART session, we would like to invite S+T+ARTS community members for an online meet-up and exchange of ideas. We will invite a number of you to present your work/a project/a partnership that used the STARTS Collaboration Toolkit, or developed your new methods and tools for collaboration with Tech/Science partners, or even exciting tools you used during the pandemic and in times of radically increased online / screenbased interaction, and insights you gained that you would like to share with te community.
Please get in touch with us to let us know if you would like to present on the day and we can make arrangements with you.
Discover the details and how to attend the session here
May 11th — 5 PM CEST [COMMUNITY GATHERING]
Project Update QOLONY
This time we will be co-hosting the session with Qolony, a non-profit organisation based in Bucharest, Romania that seeks to generate connections between art, science and technology and believes that transdisciplinary practices are the cornerstone of developing innovative ideas. Qolony will share what they have learned in the two years since they pioneered creating their organisation in a country where Art/Science NGOs are effectively unheard of and present their Artist in Residence program.
During this WeSTART session, we would like to invite S+T+ARTS community members and non/new STARTS community members for an online exchange of ideas in breakout sessions following the presentation from Qolony based on themes from their talk:
- When there is no infrastructure, one can create it.
- Collaborations are key to development.
- Think big or stay home.
Discover the details and how to attend the session here
June 3rd — 5 PM CEST [Focus on]
Urban mobility: exploring new imaginaries
Discussing how art-tech residency opens new perspectives
Mobility is a challenge in urban areas, some of which are undergoing profound changes linked to new transport networks. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced our European societies to be facing a reorganisation of work, as well as public transportation. Going forward, these new ways of life and transportation will revolutionise the way in which individuals move around urban space and will foster a new relationship with the city. In addition, the challenge of ecological transition invites us to rethink the connections between cities and technologies, with an underlying concern of bringing people and sustainable development back to the heart of our discussions.
With this in mind, Fondation Fiminco, as part of S+T+ARTS initiative and in partnership with the Sony CSL Paris research laboratory (Computer Science Laboratories), have launched a call for a 5-month residency to address these new urban challenges, and to imagine innovative scenarios and projects around mobility.
The laureate, Russell Perkins, has addressed the topic through music, to create connections between the dynamics of a musical composition and the mobility of bodies and objects through the city, using augmented musical composition and artificial intelligence.
The residency is coming to its end and this online session will be the occasion to present the work and results of the residency, as well as the new perspectives underlined. Moreover, we will discuss how such a residency is organised, implemented, and monitored, to give you a glimpse of the backstage!
Discover the details and how to attend the session here