Category: PHASE 3

Aspire awe of what we don’t yet know.

Keywords: astrophotography, social impact, art as a way to communicate

Who?

Astrophotographer Jukka-Pekka Metsävainio, Oulu, Finland. His photos have been published in National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institute and museum, NASA and Wired.

What?

The astrophotographer’s goal is to capture beauty.

Metsävainio’s panoramic photo of the Milky Way consists of hundreds of photos, shows over 20 million stars and covers 125 degrees of the sky cover. The photos were taken over 12 years. Currently, it is the most large-scale photo of the Milky Way galaxy. The photo is also a piece of art. Metsävainio is an artist by education, but self-taught in astrophotography and he has developed new techniques himself to get better photos. The colors in his photos are based on the colors that elementals emanate. But his goal is still to capture beauty.

Why?

Metsävainio’s photos are a way of making people more aware of what it is like in space. The point lies in the ways we can raise interest in specific fields. The naked eye cannot even imagine the true appearance of the Milky Way, but Metsävaino has been able to prove and capture this beauty with photographic skills.

Results

Astrophotographer Jukka-Pekka Metsävainio’s photographs of the Milky Way and space have gained international fame. The photos are incredibly detailed and high-resolution. This case has awoken engaging questions about the unexplored sides of the universe. This case is one of the greatest examples of how much power visuality has on our comprehension especially on large scale phenomenon.

Metsävainio is a visual artist, not an astronomer. He did not wait 12 years for this work to be finished. He published independent samples as their own work, and gradually filmed the gap between these samples. He had planned the final result beforehand; The angles and composition had to be considered well in advance because they cannot be changed afterwards.

Technology is an artist’s tool. Taking long exposure times requires equipment that makes the camera follow the stars. Metsävainio has assembled his own equipment. “It’s a terrible-looking tune-up,” said Metsävainio. The axis of the German-made pedestal is parallel to the Earth’s axis. Basically, it’s a backward-rotating clock that keeps the camera pointing closely at the same spot in the constellation.

Sources

Metsavainio, J., 2022. Astro Anarchy. [online] Astroanarchy.blogspot.com. Available at: https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Metsävainio, J., 2022. Astro Anarchy. [online] Astro Anarchy. Available at: https://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Paukku, T., 2021. Oululaisen tähti­kuvaajan tarkka otos Linnun­radasta ihastuttaa ympäri maailmaa: ”Haluan näyttää, kuinka upea maailmamme todella on”. [online] Helsingin Sanomat. Available at: https://www.hs.fi/tiede/art-2000007899693.html [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Collaboration between the arts and science affect humans’ everyday life.

Keywords: prototyping, everyday life, future designs

Who?

STARTS Lighthouse Re-FREAM.

Artist and designer: Giulia Tomasello.

The co-creation process was facilitated by Fraunhofer IZM.

What?

Nova Innova’s aim is to inspire others by their collaboration with nature.

ALMA is a collaboration between a variety of professionals (material scientists, medical anthropologists, interaction designers, clothing designers, fashion designers). The project team organized workshops and a survey for women to participate in the conversation and thus gaining permission to collect data on stigma and taboos regarding intimate health. The artistic identity of the project was refined through the co-creation process with 11 international fashion designers.

Why?

ALMA opened a space of innovation, where women can become aware of their own bodies by becoming empowered through technology. The aim is to provoke societal changes by rethinking fashion and technology together.

Results

T. ALMA will continue to build on the results demonstrated by its first pH sensing prototype and co-creation. The prototypes are also proof that collaboration has true value when designing wearable technology for female’s healthcare.

The project delved further into the physiological aspects of the female body, conducting a lot of remote research to understand which under-served health conditions experienced by women could be addressed by Alma.

During the physical co-creation process in Berlin (Fraunhofer IZM), they successfully built a modular design where the technology is embedded in the gusset of the underwear, where the pH sensor is located, and the data is carried through some conductive wires to a small case where the electronics are kept. The prototype even has wireless communication that can potentially allow a woman to access her own information, to know better her body and feel encouraged to seek help when needed.

With Silke, a clothing designer, they investigated the inclusivity of clothing and how the garment itself can be a tool to let women be empowered and feel comfortable with technology that comes very close to their body. They managed to produce four pairs of underwear with two different styles: a 50s style and a basic style.

Sources

Tomasello, G., 2020. ALMA. [online] Re-fream.eu. Available at: https://re-fream.eu/alma/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Tomasello, G., Busolo, T., Farina, I. and Mizuta, R., n.d. ALMA. [online] Al-ma.org. Available at: https://al-ma.org/Smart-Underwear [Accessed 18 March 2022].

The Sourcebook for teaching science

Keywords: strategies, instructions, arts a way to communicate

Who?

Authors Norman Herr and James Cunningham, and published by Jossey-Bass, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What?

Science is usually seen as an abstract subject.

The Sourcebook for Teaching Science is designed to complement any secondary school science curriculum. Science teachers will find ready-to-use demonstrations, experiments, illustrations, games, puzzles, analogies, lessons, activities, and strategies, as well as explanations of how to adapt these for English learners and diverse student groups. All topics are accompanied by extensive background material, providing teachers with the scientific, organizational, and pedagogical principles necessary for successful classroom implementation.

Why?

Science is usually seen as an abstract subject. Using games, analogies and illustrations give the pupils the possibility to touch and play with science.

Results

This project gives the pupils in secondary school the possibility to play with science. It is scientifically proof that Serious Games offer considerable potential for facilitating both formal and informal learning experiences. Games combine different aspects coming from the arts skills, such as graphic design and storytelling, and technological skills such as programming, logic, math.

The possibility to play with science.

The Sourcebook for Teaching Science was released in 2006 by Jossey-Bass, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and written by Norman Herr and James Cunningham. It was first published as a tool for teachers in secondary school, enabling them to present sciences in a more applied way, using serious games, puzzles, experiments, illustrations, and strategies.

The contents of the book are now available on the Internet. A series of games are presented, and there are many other resources simplifying scientific concepts using videos, visualization, mind maps and so on.

Sources

Herr, N., 2007. The Sourcebook for Teaching Science. [online] Csun.edu. Available at: http://www.csun.edu/science/index.html [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Mind the fungi

Keywords: arts to STEM, network utilization, sustainability

Who?

Departments of Applied and Molecular Microbiology and Bioprocess Engineering of the TU Berlin and the art and research platform Art Laboratory Berlin.

Artists: Theresa Schubert & Fara Peluso.

What?

Mind the Fungi is a project which uses the interdisciplinary concept from STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Art) to expand scientific research with artistic and design-based research. Work is done with Berlin citizens, artists and designers to develop new ideas and technologies for mushroom and lichen-based materials. “Walk & Talks” are public events and a part of Mind the Fungi, to explore the potential of sustainable biomaterials from fungi. Also, an “Artists in Residence” program brings art and design into this project supporting the aspect of sharing research processes and findings with the public.

Why?

All this was to provide citizens with an opportunity for scientific collaboration, to give the public an understanding of the importance of fungal biotechnology for a sustainable future and to establish a research network at the TU Berlin.

Results

The Walk & Talks offered diverse perspectives on the forests and their cultural meaning. Also, during the artist residencies, Schubert studied the effects of sound on fungal growth and Peluso did research on new biomaterials on the symbiotic basis of algae and fungi. The creative works are a result of a close collaboration with both departments of TU Berlin’s Institute of Biotechnology. The final exhibition presented new results from the laboratories of the Institute of Biotechnology at TU Berlin.

Mushrooms are used in biotechnology as cell factories to produce antibiotics, immunosuppressants, cholesterol-lowering drugs, antimalarials, insulin, prebiotics, pigments, organic acids, enzymes, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and more. The fungal biotechnology of the 20th century managed to establish itself as an essential platform technology for innumerable branches of industry and thus decisively shapes our daily life and our lifestyle in an invisible way.

At the moment, fungal biotechnology is undergoing a disruptive innovation process, which we want to co-design with citizen scientists in a sustainable manner. Mushrooms, which are produced based on renewable vegetable raw materials in the biotechnological process, are to be converted, with far-reaching consequences, into packaging materials, building materials, and even leather.

With the expertise of applied and molecular microbiology in the field of fungal biotechnology (Prof. Meyer), bioprocess development (Prof. Neubauer) and art and science communication (Art Laboratory Berlin) the aim of the project is also to establish a new, innovative and interdisciplinary field of research at the TU Berlin, which dares right from the beginning to build a bridge in the growing Citizen Science Community in order to integrate their expertise at an early stage.

Sources

Art Laboratory Berlin. 2020. Mind the Fungi. [online] Available at: https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/publications/mind-the-fungi-book/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Meyer, V. and Rapp, R. (Ed.), 2020. Mind the fungi. Berlin: TU Berlin University Press. Available at: https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/publications/mind-the-fungi-book/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Fusing together “Nature Smart” and “Logic Smart” & a pinch of creativity

Keywords: prototyping, multisensory communication, sustainability

Who?

Nova Innova Netherlands.

What?

Nova Innova’s aim is to inspire others through their collaboration with nature.

Nova Innova is a creative start-up based in Rotterdam that combines nature, science, and design to generate crucial, sustainable breakthroughs. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology enables us to generate energy from organic waste: from compost to mud, from urine to plants. All organic waste streams are turned into sustainable energy sources with this innovative technology.

Why?

There are many interesting things happening in laboratories all over the world, which remain invisible to the general public. The team of Nova Innova aims to bridge the gap between science and everyday life, by developing sustainable applications in the form of a powerful design.

This case teaches individuals to be more sustainable from influencing the way one observes and become aware of how technology can help to generate energy and contribute to sustainability.

Results

The main result of the case is to make visible what happens in laboratories by developing sustainable applications which can be used in everyday life. This is an innovative approach where science and art can work together and contribute in a sustainable way.

Microbial Fuel Cell technology was included in the European Commission’s ‘100 radical innovation breakthroughs for the future’ report in 2019, acknowledging the importance of the development of this sustainable technology. Up until now MFC technology has been investigated in laboratories all over the world but attempts to implement this promising technology in the real world have been limited.

The Living Light indoor design lamp and the outdoor park modules are the first light applications making use of this technology to provide you with energy. Microbial Fuel Cells for the Living Light collaborate with the naturally occurring microbes in the soil to generate energy. MFC technology is comparable with the solar cell of twenty years ago, standing on the brink of becoming a welcome contribution to the renewable energy mix.

The Living Light is there to inspire others to develop this technology to the fullest and to tell the story of MFC technology in a magical way. Before the Living Light project, people were skeptical about the use of this sustainable energy source for practical applications. Now the ‘Park of Tomorrow’, the Living Light Park, and our indoor Living Light lamps are the first global example that we can use this promising technology to light up houses and parks.

Sources

STARTS PRIZE. 2021. The Living Light. [online] Available at: https://starts-prize.aec.at/de/the-living-light/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

Livinglight.info. 2022. Living Light. Nova Innova. [online] Available at: https://livinglight.info/ [Accessed 18 March 2022].

How can complex data be represented?

Keywords: arts to STEM, social impact, arts as a way to communicate

Who?

MoY, a collective comprising artists Katerina Chryssantopoulou and Benoît Durandin, carry out cross-practices in the fields of art, architecture and science.

A collaborative process with GTD System and Software Engineering, one of the most important European companies in sectors such as space, aeronautics, energy or science.

What?

A collaborative and multidisciplinary process for knowledge exchange and creation of innovation processes between creatives, artists and organizations, developed in the framework of Disonancias (2008-2009), a program where fourteen research projects were developed jointly by international artists and organizations from Catalonia and the Basque Country (Spain).

The Eighth Passenger aimed to develop a reliable source of knowledge to assist space crews. To this end, experimental research was carried out, starting with the question: how can complex data be represented and at what scale? In response, a series of tools were devised to create alternatives or improvements to the graphical interface of decision support systems for users handling large amounts of complex data in a manned space mission control center.

Why?

The Eighth Passenger was an experimental research and prototyping process led by creatives and engineers working together to find a solution to support decision making and decision support systems, modelling of complex data, predictive diagnose and data, among others.

Results

In 2010, GTD presented the Eighth Passenger, conceived as an assistant based on artificial intelligence and augmented reality techniques capable of guiding astronauts on future manned planetary exploration missions. The ePartner helps interpreting complex data and material with which astronauts might not be experts in, such as engineering, medicine or psychology. The aim was to aid them in critical circumstances, and at the same time suggesting actions to be executed in specific situations.

One of the starting questions of this research process was: How can complex data be represented and at what scale? Mo Y created a holistic image by working from physical laws, chemical signals and biological morphogenesis. As a result, the conceptualization of an assistant based on artificial intelligence and augmented reality techniques capable of guiding astronauts on future manned planetary exploration missions in the interpretation and handling of complex data and materials in which they are not experts such as engineering, medicine or psychology. The aim was to aid them in critical circumstances, and at the same time suggesting actions to be executed in specific situations.

Sources

Gtd.eu. 2010. GTD presents the “Eight Passenger” concept for astronaut crew in future space missions. | GTD Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.gtd.eu/en/news-and-events/gtd-presents-eight-passenger-concept-astronaut-crew-future-space-missions [Accessed 25 March 2022].

Zabeli, E. and Chryssanthopoulou, K., 2022. Moy Studio. [online] Moystudio.gr. Available at: https://moystudio.gr/en [Accessed 18 March 2022].

The consequences of Internet browsing

Keywords: social impact, technology, arts as a way to communicate

Who?

Joana Moll, artist and researcher who critically explores topics as techno-capitalist narratives, internet materiality, surveillance, social profiling and interfaces.

What?

How many trees are needed to absorb the amount of CO2 generated by global visits to google.com every second? Moll answers this question with an artwork that addresses the impact we generate on the environment with our Internet browsing through Google. The artist explores visual strategies that allow making visible the invisible and tries to show the repercussions that our online activity has in a supposedly interconnected world. She interprets complex data and translates it into a graphical visualization that aims to encourage critical action and thinking in an understandable and accessible way for all citizens.

The visualizations aim to encourage critical action and thinking.

Why?

This artwork based on the internet aims to raise awareness of our actions, mainly about the environmental impact of our Internet browsing via Google by interpreting complex data and translating it into comprehensive graphical visualization that aims to encourage critical thinking in an understandable and accessible way for all citizens.

Results

Through visual design the artist explores strategies that seek to activate critical reflections and actions on the use we make of digital communication technologies, showing through graphic representations complex cause-effect relationships that are established between human actions and our natural environments and mediated by the digital world.

This project is closely related to CO2GLE:
http://www.janavirgin.com/CO2
another work by the artist in which she makes visible the amount of CO2 generated every second in global visits to google.com.

Sources

Moll, J., 2016. About DEFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREST. [online] Janavirgin.com. Available at: http://www.janavirgin.com/CO2/DEFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREST_about.html [Accessed 25 March 2022].

Moll, J., 2016. DEFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREST. [online] Janavirgin.com. Available at: http://www.janavirgin.com/CO2/DEFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREST.html [Accessed 25 March 2022].