Art in Technological Development

Art is a Powerful Engine for Responsible Innovations

Art as a driver for responsible innovations is really my thing, and fortunately I am not alone.

In4Art is an interesting project that creates space for experiments on the intersection of art, science and technology and translates the outcomes to strategic implications and innovations.

The project’s focus is to increase the impact of art in society and economy by bringing systematic change to the domains of circular economy, material research and next generation internet. Care and Environment, a mix of sustainable development goals and positive impact for the broad society.

All of which sounds fantastic to me and worthy of further investigation, particularly bearing in mind that they have just launched a new explainer site for anyone interested in their Art Driven Innovation method.

Art experiments today often take place at the cutting edge of technological development, and can spark as well as act as an engine for innovation. See the diagram above taken from the website, it shows how artworks (or really the different ways that art broadens thinking) can be introduced into the process and have an effect on technological development.

From the website:

In4Art was founded in 2015 by Rodolfo and Lija Groenewoud van Vliet with the mission to increase the impact of innovative art in society and economy.  We believe art is a powerful engine for responsible innovations. It acts as an accelerator for innovation, offers reflections on our fast-changing high-tech society and by translating that into art-driven innovations it enables impact from economical, ethical, environmental, social and legal perspectives. Therefore, we create space for experiments on the intersection of art, science and technology and translate the outcomes into inspiration, strategic implications and responsible innovations.

We act as partners for the development of artistic prototypes into art-driven innovations and share their trans-formative potential, while building a network of forward looking, 21st century thinkers and doers. To do so, we created the method – Art-Driven Innovation, which guides us in our innovation projects, collection, experiments and research, focusing on breakthrough technologies in the domains of next generation internet, materials for a sustainable future and biotech.

Art on the Blog

The topic of art and its relation to technological development is not new to the blog, several years ago we investigated nano-art, but the focus on how artistic involvement can influence trajectory, and move towards responsibility is new and exciting.

The artworks section of the explainer site offers some fantastic examples of technology/science/innovation/art fusion.

A very thought-provoking project with an entertaining pair of websites, why not take a look? Technological development and art have always had close connections after all.

Just think about Leonardo da Vinci!

A Joint Statement from the Editors, Christopher Roberts and Jonathan Hankins

After a long and fruitful informal collaboration, the Bassetti Foundation and Technology Bloggers have decided to formalize their relationship with a funding agreement.

From 1 November 2020 the Bassetti Foundation will cover the blog’s domain name and hosting costs. This is a fantastic agreement for all parties involved, as it guarantees funding for the continuation of the site while still leaving options open for other partnerships in-line with our values.

As regular readers will know, co-editor Jonny has been working with the Bassetti Foundation for many years, supporting their aim to promote responsibility in innovation. The blog and the Foundation released a joint pamphlet in 2012 based upon a series on the blog called Can We Improve The Health Of The Planet?, an early sign of what was to become an enduring relationship. As editors, we understand and share the goals and aims as well as the values that the Foundation stands for, and the mutual respect and trust offered in return is appreciated and valued.

As editors and authors, we try to highlight underappreciated positive projects/organizations in the world, and promote what we see as technological developments that aim to improve the lives of everybody across the planet.

Jonny started writing for the blog in July of 2011, 3 months after Christopher founded it, and while there has never been a policy on topic areas, the site has developed a view on technology and science and the environment thanks to our shared interests and similarity in positions.

Jonny was new to blogging and Christopher offered him the necessary experience, technological skills and platform to engage with a new audience on matters of ethics and some of the broader implications of technological development.  In return Jonny offered expertise in the rapidly developing field of Responsible Innovation.

Education and critical thinking are fundamental goals for both of us, we share a passion for communication, for enthusing people with the possibilities that the future holds while highlighting the social and ethical aspects of what this might all mean.

We have both learned a lot working together and editing the website over the last (almost) ten years. We benefit from the fact that we both have different expertise, both technical and philosophical. We have influenced each other’s thinking and paths, opened new opportunities and developmental possibilities.

The blog was originally conceived the as a community technology blog, and in its early years a range of posts from other writers were published, but recently the posts have all come from the editors ourselves. This reflects our coming to a shared position on technology and science, the blog follows a shared line and has its own identity, which seems to pay off. Readers seem to share our passions, and having had consistently healthy traffic figures since the blog started, we are sure we are having the desired impact.

We try to put all of this into practice, as we both believe that “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”.

We would like to thank the Bassetti Foundation, all of our readers and contributors and look forward to continuing our fruitful (and enjoyable) relationships with you all.

Editors Christopher Roberts and Jonathan Hankins.

Online Open Science Training Day from Berlin Science Week

 

As part of Berlin Science Week 2020 the ORION Open Science and the Max-Delbruck-Centre for Molecular Medicine project is organizing an online event, and I will be presenting.

The event takes place on Friday 4 November, and is free.

Schedule:

  • 14:00 – Open Science: A History 
  • 14.30 – Citizen Science
  • 15.00 – ‘SMOVE’: A Citizen Science Project
  • 15.30 – Open Data
  • 16.00 – Open Research Data Fears and Challenges
  • 16:30 – Open Content and Licensing
  • 17:00 – Open Hardware
  • 17:30 – Open Source
  • 18:00 – Open Access
  • 18:30 – Science Communication
  • 19:00 – End

I am presenting in a group on Open Source, so am studying hard!

There is a lot to learn here, much of it building upon the Open Science MOOC that I reviewed a couple of weeks ago.

Why not join us for part? register here now.

From the invitation:

Have you heard of Open Science and wondered what it is? Or is there an Open Science topic you wish you knew more about? Join us for an afternoon of bite-sized events at the online Open Science Café. For five hours, we are serving up a rolling series of twenty-minute micro-talks and activities about Open Science. Drop in and have a coffee while you get a quick snack of knowledge about how to make different aspects of research transparent, accessible, and usable for all. Or stay for the whole afternoon and become an Open Science expert.

The Open Science microlearnings will be served up on YouTube by the graduates of the train-the-trainer course from the ORION Open Science project, hosted at the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine.

Further details and registration are available here.