In the 21st century, global economic, ecological and social challenges have increased the need for new hybrid solutions that result from collaborations across different disciplines and different modes of thinking. This is why more and more contemporary art institutions highlight the creativity and criticality of artists as a major driving force for finding solutions to today's challenges. The European Union has recognized the urgency of finding hybrid solutions with the launch of the STARTS Program, focusing on innovation at the nexus of Science, Technology, and the ARTS. STARTS unites renowned art & research institutions and innovative industries to jointly work on innovative projects where artists, scientists and engineers work together on radically different solutions.
During this symposium, artists and researchers from different fields will briefly present what they have achieved within STARTS and other similar research programs. They will discuss the challenges and outcomes of these collaborations that have juxtaposed different approaches and modes of thinking with the goal of achieving innovative results. The symposium is co-organized by the Estonian presidency, BOZAR, and DG CONNECT in the European Commission.
Entrance is free
Language: English
Programme
12:30 Introduction
13:00 - 14:45 Programmable Cities: Art and Technology for Urban Innovation
Introduction by Marleen Stikker (Waag)
Speakers: Salvatore Iaconesi (hacker, designer, artist), Simon Denny (artist), Jaap-Henk Hoepman (Institute for Computing and Information Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen)
Followed by a debate on ‘programmable cities’
We are witnessing huge growth in the digitisation of our daily urban lives and at the same time we are experiencing growing distrust in relation to the way these digital tools tap into the (meta) information of our daily lives using it in a way we don’t always agree upon. Storage and the use of metadata are often things we are not comfortable with; trolling and fake news are undermining democratic values. During this session we discuss how we can make digital economies and societies sustainable and reliable and how artists are good at helping to change paradigms related to Smart Cities.
15:15 - 16:15 Outcomes & Results of STARTS Programme
Introduction by Gerfried Stocker (Ars Electronica)
Presentations: Marcus Maeder (Treelab - STARTS Prize Honorary Mention), FEAT by Pinar Yoldas (artist), Vertigo Project by Haseeb Ahmed (artist), WEAR Project, Anna Dumitriu (artist)
Moderated by Lucas Evers (Waag)
The meeting of science, technology and the arts (STARTS) is the favoured basis for the innovation necessary if we are to combat the social, ecological and economic challenges that Europe will be facing in the near future. In this STARTS Prize initiative, the European Commission’s focus is on projects and people that can make meaningful contributions to this effort. In this session artists and scientists make five minute presentations in which they speak about the challenges of their collaborations and briefly present what different STARTS projects have achieved. This will be followed by a roundtable which juxtaposes different approaches to interaction.
15:15 - 17:15 Collaborative Practice in the 21st Century?
By Ars Electronica
16:15 - 17:15 Art and the Brain: Towards Art-triggered Startups
Art often functions as a catalyst for innovation. The session focus on STARTS actions which foster creative non-scientific applications of Brain-Computer Interfaces in the context of BRAINHACK: an EU funded FET Open project connecting scientists, artists and technologists working on innovative brain-related projects using BCI technology. DART 17, a testing lab for interactive projects based in San Francisco, is a customised opportunity to BRAINHACK Spinal projects. The winning project will be able to test its idea in the Silicon Valley eco-system, collect industry feedback and gain support to develop it back in Europe. The session includes a pitching session of DART17-BRAINHACK edition candidates and the announcement of the winners.
16:15 – 16:20 Introduction by Luis Miguel Girao (Artshare) and Sophie Lamparter (DART17)
16:20 – 16:30 The role of STARTS Innovation Actions in fostering creative non-scientific applications for BCI interfaces
Presented by Stephen Dunne (Director Starlab Neuroscience and Partner Neuroelectrics)
16:20 – 16:40 Premiere of the documentary OpenMind (2017, 12:45’, English) by Anna Sanmartì
Speaker: Anna Sanmartì (Director OpenMind)
16:40 – 17:10 BRAINHACK Spinal Projects Pitching to DART17 residency in San Francisco
5 projects x 3 minutes each + Q&A
Moderators: Sophie Lamparter (DART17), Arijana Walcott (Swisscom/DART17).
Projects: Bisensorial, Senscapes, Human CentipEEG, Labyrinth Psychotica, Second Brain
17:10 - 17:15 Announcement of DART17 BRAINHACK residency winner
Announcement by Luis Miguel Girao (Artshare) and Sophie Lamparter (DART17)
