Photographer: Pavel Arkharov

Oslofjord Ecologies Extended Exhibition

Performance: Camilla Dahl

Hybrid Labs Symposium

Heritage Tour

Leonardo 50th Anniversary Dinner and Storytelling

1 June 2018, 11.00–16.00 
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Meeting Room 283

Programme in this link (PDF).

How to prepare? Click below on the image to enlarge (PDF).

Collaboratory Methods for Heritage Workshop is followed by 

16.30–18.00 Heritage Tour, Guided tour on Aalto University Otaniemi Campus

16.30 Meeting at the entrance of Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7

See tour maps below (click on images for a PDF view).

See photographs.

Toni KOTNIK

Design of Structures: Research into configurational logics

In architecture as well as in engineering, structural design is often viewed as mere problem of stability and efficiency. But structures, understood as relationship between elements, are articulations of order, are patterns of organization with architecture arguably the most prominent manifestation of the basic human activity of structuring the environment we are living in. Structures in architecture, thus, are not only physical but also conceptual. Structures are a medium of expression of design ideas that traverse all scales of architecture. Based on such an understanding, the lecture tries to sketch a research into the configurational logic of structures as an interdisciplinary research project with architecture at its core.

Toni Kotnik is Professor of Design of Structures at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. He studied architecture and mathematics at Germany, Switzerland and the US and received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Zurich as well as a Master in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication from the ETH. Before joining Aalto he taught among others at the ETH in Zurich, the Architectural Association (AA) in London, the Institute for Experimental Architecture at the University of Innsbruck and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He has been lecturing at leading universities worldwide like Harvard, MIT or Bartlett but also at important museums like the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the MOMA in New York. His practice and research work has been published and exhibited internationally, including the Venice Biennale, and is centered on the integration of knowledge from science and engineering into architectural design thinking and the exploration of organizational principles.

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Gediminas URBONAS

Swamps and the New Imagination

Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps”, maintained Henry David Thoreau, who loved to write about wetlands and to be written by them. Today, revalorising the swamp over solid ground as well as exploring its complex web of interactions appears to be far from the romantic clichés of ‘Noble Savage’ and ‘Back to Nature’. We cannot get back to the marshes, as there is no objectively fixed environment we are to return to. The instinctive and natural behaviour cannot undo our civilization, but rather provokes the conflict and discontent with(in) ourselves derived from social and cultural repression.

The swamp challenge is not about re-discovering our true identity, but rather about meeting with our intrinsic hybridity that transcends the human as a hermetic organism. Blurring the line between human and nature, the swamp prompts us to reimagine our relationships and potential interchange in the posthuman turn. Just as, along Bruno Latour’s lines, we have never been modern, the swamps have never disappeared: they have been in the background as an invisible symbiosis of different forms of life, as an interaction of elements and organisms, as a part of our denigrated premodern subconscious, of our urbanized fears and nightmarish dreams that signal the exposure to the danger of the unknown and induce into watery motion both objection and attraction to the uncanny.

So how do swamps foster our thinking? In what ways do the wetlands provoke our repressed imagination? How could swamps benefit architecture, given that every construction starts from land reclamation? As we know, many cities themselves have a swampy pasts and uncertain futures. The “floating cities” were built by applying solid foundation of wooden stakes and platforms to stabilize the moving environment of the wetlands. However, swamps did not cease to exist. They just colonized the cities from within, the same way their structures intervened into the waters.

Swamps and the New Imagination embarks upon a critical examination of the outcomes of today’s rediscovery of matter which constantly opens up itself through interplay of immateriality. The presentation intends to set up a discursive space not only questioning the distribution of territories as a means of organizing identities and realities, but also to envision the role of immaterial in the age of non-human turn and interspecies dialogue. A swamp is both a place for manifold symbiotic relationships, and a locus of imagination, fostering the dialogue with possible futures.

Gediminas Urbonas is artist, educator, and co-founder of the Urbonas Studio (with Nomeda Urbonas), an interdisciplinary research practice that facilitates exchange amongst diverse nodes of knowledge production and artistic practice in pursuit of projects that transform civic spaces and collective imaginaries. In collaboration with experts from different cultural and professional fields, these projects develop practice-based research models, merging a variety of materials and techniques from new media, urbanism, social science and ecology. The Urbonas’s work has been exhibited at the São Paulo, Berlin, Moscow, Lyon, and Gwangju Biennales; at the Manifesta and Documenta exhibitions; and in solo shows at the Venice Biennale and the MACBA in Barcelona among others. Recently their work was featured at Sao Paulo biennial (2016) and Folkestone Triennial (2017). Urbonas co-edited Public Space? Lost and Found (MIT Press, 2017) an examination of the complex interrelations between the creation and uses of public space and the roles that art plays therein. Urbonas are curating the upcoming Swamp Pavilion – future learning environment at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale 2018. Gediminas Urbonas is Associate Professor at the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology (MIT).

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Gediminas Urbonas: Swamps and the New Imagination
Toni Kotnik: Design of Structures: Research into configurational logics

Plenary 1, Thursday 31 May 2018, 9.15–10.30
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor, room A2

Judith VAN DER ELST

Fish fly in the sea, Birds swim in sky

When humans are immersed in water instead of air, sound waves bypass the ear and enter through the bone behind the ear, so called bone conduction. Interestingly, the range of frequency that can be sensed in this way is believed to be about 10 times higher than what humans can hear on land through air, potentially increasing our ability to interpret our immediate environment and create new knowledge.

My work is based on the premise that what we know is a direct result of the interplay of our sensing apparatus with which we are equipped and the surrounding medium through which sensible stimuli are conducted. Other individuals and organisms in our immediate and extended environments pick up different signals and hence create different knowledge from our shared medium. The sum of each of these subjective interpretations can be thought of as the total knowledge or intersubjective knowledge.

In this presentation I will explore and discuss different sensing organs, the signals that can be sensed and how increased awareness and exploration of the –humanly- ‘unknown’ in our immersive spaces can help us create sustainable technologies to tap into intersubjective – ecological – knowledge. In order to do this I believe it is necessary and essential to develop novel embodied research methodologies that cross the art science boundaries.

Judith van der Elst is an archaeologist and creative entrepreneur currently residing on the EU continent. She studied and worked in New Mexico from 1999-2012, and as an archaeologist with artistic sensitivity her studies in New Mexico included collected earth sensory data at Native American sites of survival and struggle millennia ago where cultural materials and traditions were initiated through land based knowledge systems. She seeks to understand the principles and practices that underpin impressive adaptations to the land. Based on a simple idea that the western mind can only partially encompass human knowledge, she believes that many of these principles and practices are unintelligible to the western mind with its focus on the visual sense at the expense of other sensory sources of information that make up our spatial worlds.
With a passion for teaching and learning in the land, she currently leads a semi-nomadic lifestyle to explore the possibility of new rural-based ‘laboratories.’ As a creative practitioner she has long been interested and has used emerging, spatial technologies such as GIS and remote sensing. Increasingly she focuses on near-surface/ambient sensing /biosensors- to expand our experiential and embodied learning and comprehension toolkit in order to access different worlds in our sphere. No longer just a personal desire, she believes a new way of doing research and practice focused on embodied knowledge is necessary to face our future challenges toward a just and healthy world.

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Saara HACKLIN

“…without knowing what we will haul back in it”
Science, art and the phenomenological approach

Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) developed his phenomenology in a dialogue with the arts. For him arts presented and source of inspiration, an exemplary approach to the world, comparable to the phenomenologist approach. In comparison, phenomenological discourse addresses classical sciences critically – Merleau-Ponty claims in “Eye and Mind” that “science manipulates things and gives up living in them.” For Merleau-Ponty, also photography presented an example of such practice. However, as we know, the dialogue of arts and sciences has a long tradition. Contemporary artists are using new technologies, sometimes critically commenting science, but also using its discoveries and interpreting them into new visual language. In my paper I will discuss some case studies, for instance works by Tuomo Rainio and Maija Tammi, and discuss the challenges and potential of Merleau-Pontian phenomenological approach.

Saara Hacklin is a curator and theorist based in Helsinki. She works at the Museum of Contemporary Art KIASMA as a collections curator. Hacklin has studied philosophy and aesthetics at the University of Helsinki. Her PhD in 2012 discussed Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, bringing it together with case studies of contemporary art. Besides research and curatorial work Hacklin has been a visiting researcher at the Jan van Eyck Academie, participated in discussions around art and criticism through various publications such as online journal Mustekala and taught art theory in different institutions, including Aalto University.

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Judith van der Elst: Fish fly in the sea, Birds swim in sky
Saara Hacklin: “…without knowing what we will haul back in it” Science, art and the phenomenological approach

Plenary 2, Friday 1 June 2018, 9.00–10.30
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari

Vladimir IVANOV

Using AR technologies in cultural heritage and in medical visualization

Augmented reality enables real-time interaction between the user, real objects and virtual objects. With this possibility we can increase user-experience, performance and raise the quality of services in many areas, such as museum exhibition, architecture and surgery. Proposed solutions helps visualize data that don’t exist or hidden in easy way. For cultural heritage it’s visualization of reconstructed objects in the way where user doctors easily prepare for surgery and see where internal structures are located during procedure, which makes it less invasive and improve rehabilitation time.

Full text PDF.

Vladimir Ivanov is Professor and Head of Engineering Graphics and Design Department at St.Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia.

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Collaboratory Methods for Heritage Workshop, Friday 1 June 2018, 11.00–16.00
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Meeting Room 283

Roger MALINA

If it has to be plugged in it cant be art; celebrating the Leonardo network 50th

Leonardo is dead, Long Live Leonardos; Now to design culture for the digital age

The Leonardo Journal was founded by a group of artists and scientists in Paris in 1968. They were convinced that the contemporary artists must appropriate all relevant science and technologies to express themselves, but also the new worlds made visible through instruments. This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this community of practice championed by the Leonardo
Journal and organisations. By coincidence 2019 is also the 500th anniversary of the death of DaVinci on May 2 1519.

In this talk I will talk about the past and future of the the arts, sciences and technology within the context of an emerging digital age. No culture has ever redesigned itself intentionally. I argue that we must redesign our culture in order to face the anthropocene and the tragedy of the internet. We must also redesign science itself, both its methods and its social embedding. Welcome to Leonardo the Leonardo50 birthday party and a Leonardo500 wake celebration.

Roger F. Malina is a space scientist and astronomer, with a specialty in extreme and ultraviolet astronomy, space instrumentation and optics. He served as director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence and was NASA Principal Investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Satellite project at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a publisher and editor in the new emerging research fields that connect the sciences and engineering to the arts, design and humanities. Since 1982 he has served as Executive Editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two non profits, ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.

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Nina CZEGLEDY

Hybrid Collaborations

Presently cross-disciplinary teams connect from remote locations and collaborate
in hybrid environments. Within the process of these collaborations many questions
emerge such as how is the most important element defined in such collaboration?
Are there any rules? Is there an applicable methodology? How are cultural
differences approached? How are the underlying artistic, social and political
motivations defined? While extensive flexibility, modularity and mutually satisfying
professional and personal relationships seem to contribute to the ultimate success
of the collaborative process many of these questions remain unanswered. My practice
is based on art, science and technology collaboration. This presentation is focused
on my three hybrid collaborations with the Digital Drama Lab, University of Toronto:
Homo Ludens – The Playing Body (2012), In-Between algorithms: Energizing matter/
Materializing energy (2016) and Rejection (2017).

Nina Czegledy, independent artist, curator and educator collaborates
internationally on art & science & technology projects. Locally relevant interdisciplinary
education (STEAM) and practice, inter-generational project involvement and the
paradigm shifts in the arts in a cross-cultural context inform her collaborations.
She has exhibited and published widely won awards for her artwork and has initiated,
lead and participated in conferences, forums and festivals worldwide. She is part of Leonardo Community.

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Roger Malina: If it has to be plugged in it cant be art; celebrating the Leonardo network 50th
Nina Czegledy: Hybrid Collaborations

Leonardo 50th Anniversary Dinner and Storytelling, Friday 1 June 2018, 19.30–22.30 
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari

Speaker information and schedule in the programme is subject to change.

PDF version of the programme.

PDF map of the Hybrid Labs Venues.

PDF map of Aalto University Campus area in Otaniemi.

Click on the links in the programme below for abstracts and for more information:

Wednesday 30 May 2018

Registration: Otakaari 1X

12.00–14.00 Registration
Otakaari 1X, 1st Floor

13.00–17.00 Media Lab Spring Demo Day (see more)
Design Factory, Stage, Betonimiehenkuja 5C, 02150 Espoo

16.00–18.00 Registration
Otakaari 1X, 1st Floor

17.30–20.00 Oslofjord Ecologies Extended:

Performance, exhibition opening & refreshments
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor
Artists:
Siri Austeen
Kristin Bergaust
Tona Gulpinar
Anneke von der Fehr
Alexis Parra
Sabine Popp
Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits
Elin Tanding Sørensen
Gunhild Vatn
Hanan Benammar
Brent Lee
Andrea Sunder-Plassman
Sigi Torinus
18:00 Performance: Camilla Dahl International: Aalto Amphi Oral Experimental Lab
– Meet us at the entrance of the exhibition in Otakaari 1X for walk to the site of the opening performance (2 minutes) at Alvar Aalto park open amphitheater. After the performance is over, we return to the exhibition site.
18:30 Welcome words: Kristin Bergaust, Rasmus Vuori (Vice Dean)

Thursday 31 May 2018

Venue: Otakaari 1X

8.00–9.00 Registration & Coffee
Otakaari 1X, 1st Floor

9.00 Opening of the symposium, Lily Diaz, Harri Paananen (Espoo City)

Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor, room A2

9.15–10.30 PLENARY 1:

Toni Kotnik: Design of Structures: Research into configurational logics
Gediminas Urbonas: Swamps and the New Imagination
Session chair: Kristin Bergaust
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor, room A2

10.30–11.00 Performance
Lisa Erdman: Pharmaceuticals for the 21st Century
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor, room A2

11.00–13.00 PARALLEL SESSIONS 1:

Otakaari 1X, rooms A1 and A2

13.00–14.00 Lunch (on your own)

14.00–16.00 PARALLEL SESSIONS 2:

Otakaari 1X, rooms A1 and A2

16.00–16.45 Coffee & POSTERS:
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor

16.00–16.45 Poster presentations:
Otakaari 1X, 2nd Floor

16.00 Inge Römgens: Exploring research practices in between the arts and academia: an example of how artistic research is done in theatre

16.10 Frances Joseph and Miranda Smitheram: Making With: Hybrid Practices in the development of new forms of intra-active dress

16.20 Klaus Förger, Tommi Himberg, Julien Laroche and Asaf Bachrach: FSenSync – A software for enabling collaboration between art and science

16.30 Viktor Klimenko, Elena Pavlovskaya and Aleksandr Uvarov: Design in Siberia: on the edge of cultural legacy and innovation

Chair for poster session: Lily Díaz

16.45–18.00 PARALLEL SESSIONS 3:

Otakaari 1X, rooms A1 and A2

19.00 Dinner (on your own)

Friday 1 June 2018

Venue: Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, 1st floor (and OK20 Sauna, Otakaari 20, basement floor)

9.00–10.30 PLENARY 2:

9:00 –9.15 Opening words, Rasa Smite: Renewable Futures – art, science and techno-ecologies in the 21st century
Judith van der Elst: Fish fly in the sea, Birds swim in sky
Saara Hacklin: “…without knowing what we will haul back in it” – Science, art and the phenomenological approach
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari
Plenary 2 chair: Lily Díaz

10.30–11.00 Coffee 
Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari Backstage

11.00–16.00 PARALLEL WORKSHOP SESSIONS:

Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Meeting Room 283 and Studio Kipsari

16.00–16.30 Coffee
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari Backstage

16.30–18.00 HERITAGE TOUR:
Guided tour on Aalto University Otaniemi Campus
16.30 Meeting at the entrance of Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7

16.30–19.30 The joint Virtual Cinema Lab and FIVR SPRING MEET-UP
Demos and snacks
Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7

18.00–19.30 SAUNA & DRINKS
OK20 Sauna, Otakaari 20, basement level (entrance from behind the building)
Bring your own towel

19.30–22.30 Leonardo 50th Anniversary Dinner and Storytelling

Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Studio Kipsari
19.30 Dinner is served
20.00 Roger Malina: If it has to be plugged in it cant be art; Celebrating the Leonardo Network 50th
20.40 Annikki Luukela: Memories: my connection with Frank Malina family and my personal path into the world of holograms
21.00 Nina Czegledy: Hybrid Collaborations
21.45–22.15 Performance: ALIASING aka Roberto Pugliese and Tuomo Rainio: Various attempts to organize matter
22.15 Closing words, Juhani Tenhunen

Programme is subject to change. 

Please, confirm your attendance by registering to the event here by 22 May 2018: 
https://eage.aalto.fi/?f/en/HLS2018

Hybrid Labs Symposium will take place at Aalto University Otaniemi Campus in Espoo city.

Venues:

Otakaari 1 X, entrance X, Espoo
Rooms: A1 (1st floor) and A2 (2nd floor)
Venue for 30 May (Registration desk, Exhibition) and 31 May.
See location on the map.
Please, note that the entrance X is on the parkside of the Otakaari 1 building, see symposium venues map below.

Aalto Studios, Otakaari 7, Espoo
Venue for Friday 1 June 2018

Hybrid Labs Symposium venues map.
Aalto University Otaniemi Campus map.

Reach us easily from Helsinki City Centre (Railway Station “Rautatientori” or “Kamppi”) with metro (M1/M2). Metro stop: “Aalto-yliopisto”. Please note: Exit metro to: “Otaniementie”.

Helsinki has only one metro line. You can see the metro route map PDF here.
Hybrid Lab Symposium is located outside Helsinki city limits, in a neighbouring city of Espoo. This means that you will need to purchase a regional ticket (“seutulippu”) when you travel across the city lines with public transportation. You will also need this regional ticket for traveling between the airport and Helsinki city centre (see airport commute below).

Busses that come to HLS / Otaniemi Campus: 551, 552, 111 (see stops on the map below)
Bus routes and timetables: HSL page

Find your way with:
HSL – timetables and ticketing info
Route Planner
Route Maps for Public Transportation

Click to enlarge the map (pdf).

Official Aalto University Otaniemi Campus map:

Click to enlarge the map (PDF).

Arriving from the airport:

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TRAIN: There is a direct train line from the airport to city centre during the day. It takes 30 minutes to get to the city. The train departs from between T1 and T2. Purchase your ticket in advance from the ticket vending machines at the terminal, before entering the train. You will need a regional ticket (“seutulippu”) when you travel from Helsinki-Vantaa to Helsinki city centre railway station (Rautatieasema). All trains departing from the airport will arrive to Helsinki city centre. 

BUS: Helsinki city busses and Finnair bus can be used to reach the center of Helsinki.

See more on city busses and the train: https://www.hsl.fi/en/timetables-and-routes/terminals/transport-links-helsinki-airport 

Finnair Bus: https://www.pohjolanliikenne.fi/en/articles/finnair-city-bus-new-timetable

TAXI: From the airport to Helsinki city centre or directly to Espoo HSL2018 Venue, taxi will cost 40–50 euros.

If you need cash, there is an ATM already at the airport.
Common credit cards work well in Finland too and you will not necessarily need much cash.

Accommodation

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HOTELS

Espoo:

Radisson Blu Espoo
Otaranta 2 FI-02150 Espoo (MAP)
https://www.radissonblu.com/fi/hotelli-espoo 
Distance: 10 minutes walking to HLS2018.

Original Sokos Hotel Tapiola Garden
Tapionaukio 3, 02100 Espoo (MAP)
https://www.sokoshotels.fi/fi/espoo/sokos-hotel-tapiola-garden
Distance: 10 minutes by bus to HLS2018. 15 minutes walk to HLS2018.

Helsinki:

OmenaHotels
Yrjönkatu (MAP)
Lönnrotinkatu (MAP)
https://www.omenahotels.com/en/
Distance: 20–25 minutes with metro to HLS2018.

Hotel Helka
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 23, 00100 Helsinki (MAP)
https://www.hotelhelka.com
Distance: 20–25 minutes with metro to HLS2018.

Hotel Arthur
Vuorikatu 19, 00100 Helsinki (MAP)
https://www.hotelarthur.fi
Distance: 20–25 minutes with metro to HLS2018.

Hotel Lilla Roberts (luxury hotel)
Pieni Roobertinkatu 1-3, 00130 Helsinki (MAP)
https://www.lillaroberts.com
Distance: 25–30 minutes with metro to HLS2018.

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HOSTELS

Espoo:

Forenom Hostel Otaniemi
Kivimiehentie 2, 02150 Espoo (MAP)
https://www.forenom.com/fi/hostellit/espoo/forenom-hostel-espoo-otaniemi/3012/
Distance: 10 minutes walking to HLS2018.

Forenom Aparthotel Espoo Leppävaara
Porarinkatu 1 A, 02650 Espoo (MAP)
https://www.forenom.com/fi/huoneistohotellit/espoo/forenom-aparthotel-espoo-leppavaara/3528/
Distance: 25 minutes by bus to HLS2018.

Helsinki:

Hostel Diana Park
Uudenmaankatu 9, 00120 HELSINKI (MAP)
http://www.dianapark.fi
Distance: 25 minutes with metro to HLS2018.

Eurohostel
Linnankatu 9, 00160 Helsinki (MAP)
http://eurohostel.eu
Distance: 30 minutes with tram + metro to HLS2018.

More about Helsinki.

More about Espoo.

Hybrid Labs Symposium call for proposals closed

Updated Information: http://hybridlabs.static-staging.new.sites.aalto.fi/hls2018-symposium/

Registration: https://eage.aalto.fi/?f/en/HLS2018

The call for paper abstracts for our Hybrid Labs Symposium 2018 ended 5th of March. Altogether 74 submissions were received on time. After the evaluation 25 full papers, 10 posters as well a number of performances and exhibition objects will be accepted. There will be workshop sessions too and for that  a few of the submissions will be invited. So there will be many different opportunities to participate in the Symposium.

The paper call had some information that caused confusion. For example it was not possible to include the biography so that an anonymous review would have been possible. That’s why we asked some authors to delete such information from their abstract. We also deleted quite many uploaded PDF documents that would have revealed the author, and in some cases we asked authors to edit the submission.

We apologise for the confusion and for any stress we might have caused anyone. The platform we are using is great and has all the possible features, but it is also a challenging system.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent by March 23, 2018 at latest. The first draft of full papers and posters must be ready for by May 14 2018.

Thanks for your patience!
The Local Organising Committee

See event updates: http://hybridlabs.static-staging.new.sites.aalto.fi/rf2018-symposium/

About Hybrid Labs

Hybrid Labs is the third edition of Renewable Futures conference that aims to challenge the future of knowledge creation through art and science. The HYBRID LABS will take place from May 30 to June 1, 2018 at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, in the context of Aalto Festival. Celebrating 50 years of Leonardo journal and community, the HYBRID LABS conference will look back into the history of art and science collaboration, with an intent to reconsider and envision the future of hybrid laboratories – where scientific research and artistic practice meet and interact.

Our three-day media event medley includes:

May 30, 2018 – Exhibition Opening 

Opening Programme features Oslofjord Ecologies Extended exhibition opening. The exhibition is based on results of artistic research processes following common workshops, field trips and earlier exhibitions and performances linked to the Creative Europe project Renewable Futures and the Nordic collaboration Hybrid Labs. Curated by Kristin Bergaust on behalf of Art in Society research group at HiOA, this cross-disciplinary exhibition includes contributions from visual arts, art and science,  theatre, performance, design, visual culture, art didactics and urban research.

May 31, 2018 – Renewable Futures Conference

Renewable Futures conference will begin with keynotes addressing HYBRID LABS topic from different broader perspectives. Parallel tracks of presentations will discuss the future of HYBRID LABS, art and science collaboration, focusing on five main topics: hybrid practices (in art and science), hybrid storytelling, hybrid fabrication, hybrid reality, and hybrid economies.

June 1, 2018 – Collaboratory Day, Celebrating Leonardo’s 50th Anniversary  

Collaboratory day and Leonardo birthday celebration includes guided tours of several of the Otaniemi campus laboratories and a workshop on collaboratory methods during the morning followed by afternoon keynote, sauna, and dinner. The topic of the keynote will be about Arts and Science collaboration and planetary healing. Also throughout the Lab tours, we want to stress the heritage aspects of the spaces, the campus and innovative aspects of art and science collaboration.

Keynote Speakers:

• Roger MALINA / Executive Editor, Leonardo Publications at M.I.T Press / Professor, the University of Texas at Dallas.
• Nina CZEGLEDY / Artist, Curator and Educator on Art, Science and Technology / Leonardo Community, Toronto, Canada
• + others – to be confirmed

Registration

Early Bird fee until 15 April, 2018.

• Early Bird Full Price: 68 EUR (normal price 86 eur).
• Early Bird Student Price: 42 EUR (normal student price 56 eur).

Included: Coffee and Snacks, + Sauna with Dinner on the third day. (Lunch is not included.)

REGISTER AT: https://eage.aalto.fi/?f/en/HLS2018

Call for Proposals

We welcome submissions by academic researchers, designers, artists, scientists, students, social entrepreneurs, visionaries and other creative thinkers and practitioners to submit their proposals related to the topics (below).

List of Topics

• hybrid practices – combining art and science, technology and ecology, digital and biological in research and education
• hybrid storytelling – heritage and storytelling for linking virtual with the material domain of everyday life
• hybrid fabrication – innovative maker trends in art and design practices
• hybrid reality – interventions into the uncritical excitement about virtual reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning
• hybrid economies – artistic practices in-between sharing and selling, networking and fabricating

Submission Guidelines

The proposals could be submitted for the following forms of presentations:

1. academic papers (full / short)
2. artistic presentations (performative lectures / performances / participatory sessions)
3. poster sessions

The conference proposals should include:

• Title and abstract (250 words max – text fields ‘Title’ and ‘Abstract’), mandatory;
• five to six keywords (text field ‘Keywords’), mandatory;
• short biography: 100 words (text field ‘Comments’), mandatory;
• Art and Science: Please indicate if your final submission will be an artistic presentation or a scientific paper.
• you can also upload a file containing any additional relevant information, optional;
• please indicate in your abstract if you want to submit pictures or videos (max 100Mb) as part of your final submission.

Deadline for Conference Proposals (Abstracts) – March 5, 2018

APPLY NOW: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hls2018

Conference Submissions – for Selected Abstracts:

After receiving the notifications, the selected participants will be asked to submit their Full/Short Papers (working version – for pre-review), Posters (layout) and Artistic Presentations (Slides) by May 14, 2018.

1. Full/Short Paper Submission:

If your abstract for full/short paper is selected, you will be asked to submit full/short paper for pre-review before the conference (working version). All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference:

• Full papers are up to 6000 words long including references and the presenter must prepare 20+10 minutes presentation.
• Short papers are between 2000 and 3000 words. The presenter must prepare 15+5 minutes presentation.

2. Artistic Presentations:

Presentations should be prepared as powerpoint or keynote slides.

3. Posters:

Posters should be made in A1 format, and submitted as PDF.

CLICK HERE TO: SEE SUBMISSIONS INFO

Publication

Shortly after the conference, the selected participants will be asked to submit their final version of the paper for peer-review. The submitted papers will undergo the double-blind peer-review process to be published in Acoustic Space journal series (Vol. 18, 2019).

When submitting your final papers, you should keep in mind the following:

• Your name. Delete your name from the first page or where ever it is mentioned in the paper.
• Acknowledgements. Please delete or mark “Acknowledgements removed”, if you have acknowledgements or thanks to those who helped you with the paper.
• Document properties. Please don’t send word or similar documents, because it might include personal information in the document (for example in Word, go to file à properties). Send your paper in pdf-format.
• Self-citation. Please anonymize your references or citations to your previous works.
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More info about the Acoustic Space, peer-reviewed journal series:
http://acousticspacejournal.com

Conference website http://hybridlabs.static-staging.new.sites.aalto.fi

Proposal submission deadline March 5, 2018
Notifications of acceptance  March 23, 2018
Deadline for selected abstracts May 14, 2018 – Submission guidelines click here.

REGISTRATION HERE: https://eage.aalto.fi/?f/en/HLS2018
Early Bird price until 15 April.

Committee

Conference Chair

• Prof. Lily Díaz

The Local Conference Organisational Board

• Prof. Lily DIAZ-KOMMONEN / Head of Research Department of Media, Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Espoo, Finland
• Prof. Rasa SMITE / Liepaja University / RIXC / Riga, Latvia
• Prof. Kristin BERGAUST / Oslo and Akershus University, Norway
• Nina CZEGLEDY, Leonardo Community, Toronto, Canada
• Juhani TENHUNEN / Aalto Studios, Espoo, Finland
• Saara MÄNTYLÄ / Department of Media, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.

The International Scientific Board of Renewable Futures Conference

• Prof. Lev MANOVICH / Cultural Analytics Lab / The Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA
• Ph.D. Jussi PARIKKA / Winchester School of Art / University of Southampton / UK
• Ph.D. Geoff COX / School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Assoc. Prof. Laura BELOFF / IT University, Copenhagen / Finnish Bioart Society, Helsinki, Finland
• Prof. Ursula DAMM / Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany
• Dr. Vytautas MICHELKEVICIUS / Nida Art Colony, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania
• Ph.D. Margrét Elísabet ÓLAFSDÓTTIR / Art Education at the University of Akureyri, Iceland
• Assoc. Prof. Ilva SKULTE / Riga Stradins University, Latvia
• Dr. art. Piibe PIIRMA / Tallinn University / Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
• Ph. D. Raivo KELOMEES / Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
• Prof. Miško ŠUVAKOVIĆ / Faculty for Media and Communication, University Singidunum, Belgrade, Serbia
• Dr. Ellen PEARLMAN / Parsons / New School University, New York, USA
• Ph.D. Chris HALES / Assist. Prof. and Study Director of New Media Art Doctoral Programe, Liepaja University, Liepaja, Latvia
• Raphael KIM / PhD Student, Media and Arts Technology, Queen Mary University London, UK

Venue

Aalto University, Otakaari 1 x, Espoo Finland

Contact

lily.diaz@aalto.fi | saara.mantyla@aalto.fi

Sponsors

NORDPLUS
Aalto University

Workshop report by: Mamdooh Afdile, Doctoral Student at the Media Lab, Aalto University, Helsinki
Title of workshop: Oslo Fjord Ecologies (View page)
Dates and place of workshop: 21st to 27th of November 2016, ANX exhibition and seminar space, Grünerløkka, Oslo.
Organized by: Professor Kristin Bergaust, Art in Society research group at HiOA, Oslo.

Workshop description:

“Oslo Fjord Ecologies” workshop is part of “RENEWABLE FUTURES – Building New European Creative Alliance and Think Tank”. Renewable Futures is a network and Creative Europe project. The Renewable Futures (RF) project aims to invent new avenues for developments of tomorrow – in culture and creative sector on the European level. Project partners in RF are: Baltan Laboratories (The Netherlands), Ars Longa (France), HOGSKOLEN I OSLO OG AKERSHUS (Norway), Media Lab / Aalto University (Finland), Hangar (Spain), Liepaja University (Latvia).

“Oslo Fjord Ecologies” workshop is built around participating presenters from the art and education field. Participants working together on shared themes where organized in to clusters. The workshop program included, Art education, Artistic research and the everyday action and agency of art. In addition, exhibitions, artist talk and practical workshops took place (see program).

Participation in the workshop:

During the one week workshop, I attended all the presentations, and was an active part of the artistic discussions in regards to the role and effectiveness of future art and art education to the ecological wellbeing of society. The role of art in society was a focus topic in the workshop that was discussed from different perspectives; with the artist role as an observer, educator and an active agent.

Contribution to the workshop:

During the workshop, I gave two presentations as part of the Art-education cluster.

My first presentation was “Teaching art to understand the brain and studying the brain to empower art” (20 min). Here I discussed the potential of using art as a means to contribute to understanding science, as well as the experience of integrating scientific knowledge in my artistic work.

My second presentation was “How do you like me know? – Using movies to unmask the biased brain” (20 min).  Here I presented the results of the first paper of my Doctoral studies, the research question as well as the future direction of using scientific methodology in art research.

Contribution of the workshop to my studies:

The workshop was a great opportunity for me to network and take part of the current debate on the role of art in society. It was an enriching experience where I had the chance to be exposed to different artistic perspectives and approaches related to my topic of interest. I believe such international workshops are an essential initiative to bring together a variety of artists and educators to engage in a multi-disciplinary discourse.

“Listening to the fjord”. Hydrophonic listening with Siri Austeen and others:

Find the reports on the Apprenticeships here:

Oslo Fjord Ecologies Workshop report
by Mamdooh Afdile, Doctoral Student at the Media Lab, Aalto University, Helsinki

Here are the final presentation materials from the participants at the Hybrid Lab 2: 3D Open-source Digital Heritage and Sustainable Technologies Workshop (Helsinki).

Cindy Kohtala:

Juan Duarte:

Justin Tyler Tate:

Maija Demitere:

The Water Garden

Installation, 2015

 

The exhibition work “The Water Garden” is an end result of my masters study in Liepaja University New Media Art  programme. My research questions were – is it possible to make a self-sustaining growing system, that could be used (and adapted) in anyones living space? How to present process-based “slow” media art work in a gallery space?

“The Water Garden” is based on any aquaphonic-type growing system, only instead of using synthetic chamicals to feed plants, I used fish. The fish waste, together with flowing watter (and oxigen in it) can provide all the necessary food for the plants growin in tubes. I can grow tomatoes, salad, kale, spices (anything that doesn’t mind growing indoors and with limited light). The plants produce average amount of fruit.

The failing

As a short-term growing system it needs a lot of power for the growlights and constant attention (feeding the fish and cheching if the tubing doesn’t get blocked). As a long-term system it needs exactly the same level of attention; and in addition – the water (around 300 l) needs to be changed at least once in 2 weeks, because the plants cant filter enough of the biological material.

The roots of plants growing next to each other will eventually get tangled together in a way that makes it impossible to clean the tubes and will start collect a lot of slime and fish waste (and will start to smell of an old and shallow pond).

Rasma:

Black Box failure

Last semester in university we had to learn programming and as usual at the end of our study year we have to make exhibition about the subject that we have been learning. So we had to make something that includes programing in concept with black box (idea of our teacher). I had almost no background in programming and we only had 4 months to learn basic programming thigs, so my project was already destined to fail.
In my mind ocean has always been mystical unknown place so I decided to go with concept of deep deep waters.  Even at the beginning when making physical box i ran into some difficulties, but it was noting comparing to the actual programming. I had to connect light sensors with arduino and then send the data to computer. My idea was when you point your light source into the sensor holes, the sounds(recorded at the deepest place in ocean) would start to play, in that way representing exploration of the ocean.
But because of the lack of time and knowledge i didn’t turn my idea to life and couldn’t participate in exhibition. So you can say my black box project was one big failure. But after all I gained more knowledge than in case when everything would have worked out in the first place.

Synne Blomli Johnsen:

What I did not do or spoke of
I failed when I did not even try

to make it

and create it

I failed when I did not trust

my idea and product

I failed when I did not ask for

advice and feedback

I failed when I did not separate good ideas from bad

and made decisions

to follow the “read thread”

ahead

My failure can be recognized as avoiding failure

I have learned that I can share my

ideas and work

Without compromising my frame of design

I recognize that my missing link, my forth leg of the stool

is communication with

my customers and the community

I could use a sparring mate sometimes

I have learned that sharing ideas and experiences within

a community or network

of shared interest

i can learn new things

and maybe even create new things

in a collaboration

 

Will van Twuijver:

1) accumulating data related to cultural heritage
2) the creation of artefacts related to cultural heritage.

Workshop Design ( Facilitation )

** 2.12. workshop session **

We sit in a roundcircle and say briefly your name, associative context and about which leg you think you stand on, and why. If both or contested you can say why. We will try to mix up people of both legs & complicated others into groups of 4-5.

You will in your smaller ‘safer’ group of 4 tell about your project to each other which didn’t work out as planned (failed). There are 3 legs this time, although maybe more.

Technical/data sustainability; Social/human sustainability; Material/ecological sustainability.

One person in the group will tell, one person in the group will listen, one person in the group will act as scribe, and one person in the group will make a mind/relationship map accordingly.

Each person will have about 30 mins each to tell, and there can be a little pause in between each for a breath of fresh air. As the teller changes other persons can change roles also.

Conversation with details, reflecting on making things better for the future in each case. Robert & Raul will be able to go round the groups and listen in, give consultation if desired.

** 3.12. workshop session **

Individually concentrate on each own narrative, that is shared as a short presentation in the post-lunch period.

Your presentation at the last session will be short – 5–8mins – which aims to tell concisely a narrative about your project which is not only a PR-tale, funding pitch or necessarily good-reportage. Essentially it would be an honest, down-to-earth and open description a reflected nuance of its strengths and failure(s), which despite this offers some hope for you/us in the future.

Documentation:

1) 5-8 min telling of your narrative related to a failed process/project on topic. This will be recorded as a video-clip but not published without your permission.

Requesting the following:

2) We ask for 3 independent images about what you share with us. PNG format preferably (jpg is ok, but we prefer png). At least 1000x horizontally. Archive them together into a ZIP or RAR folder and send via email, or share a download link.

3) 200 word abstract which summarizes what you shared with us. It is up to you if you wish to detail names or projects.

See Documentation here.