By bringing together art, technology and science, S+T+ARTS4Water aims to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: a sustainable use of water.
Photo credit: Aquatocene, Robertina Sebjanic
Water is Life. All living things need water to survive. Not only does the human body consist of 60 percent water, the resource is also essential for producing food, clothing, computers, moving our waste stream, and keeping us and the environment healthy. And yet, we do not have a sustainable approach towards this commodity.
S+T+ARTS4Water will support artists, researchers, technology experts and other stakeholders in finding a common ground and language to respond to regional water – related challenges. Focusing on clean water as a basic right for all humans and on the conservation of life in our oceans, seas and marine life, STARTS4Water builds on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and especially on SDG 6 ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ and SDG 14 ‘Life Below Water’.
At the vital nexus between the local and the global and at the crossroads between art, industry and technology, 11 S+T+ARTS residencies will critically engage with the environmental issues, transform how we manage our shared global environment and create new narratives and strategies to understand, value and manage water in a more inclusive, integrated and sustainable way. 101 events (conferences, network events, acceleration events, expert meetings, workshops, labs, summer schools, talks, presentations, exhibitions etc.) will contribute towards a sharing of knowledge about the local and regional water challenges in Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, Croatia and Italy between the communities and the industry, leading to a more complete picture of the needs and challenges and to better decisions both on the side of water utility as on the side of the user and citizen towards sustainable water management.
Water will be their common denominator, but the challenges will be rooted on local and regional realities. Most importantly, for the S+T+ARTS4Water Consortium, a sustainable water management relies on the change of behaviour of individuals. Therefore, through a series of S+T+ARTS Academy workshops, intersectorial and transversal networking activities, field expeditions and discussions engaging local communities, S+T+ARTS4Water will engage with wider communities and propose new narratives to inform and communicate on a common challenge.
S+T+ARTS4Water launches in July 2021 a call for artists for 10 residencies in 6 different locations, kick-starting a series of collaborative processes that will generate projects that raise awareness and offer concrete solutions for regional water challenges in Europe.
Each residency addresses a different region-specific water management challenge and relates to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG6 and SDG14). The challenges have been defined by the Consortium partners with the support of a regional expert network, including digital experts, entrepreneurs, regional leading art and research institutions, specialists in digital transformation, administration and public governance.
The S+T+ARTS residencies will lead to tangible artworks that develop knowledge and raise awareness of water challenges, or to digital applications & processes that contribute to the local development of sustainable water use and management.
Open Call benefits
• The budget for each residency is 40.000€, including artwork production and artist fee.
• Throughout the residencies, the STARTS4Water Consortium will offer the necessary expertise and support from ICT experts and art curators affiliated with renowned art centers, research institutions, universities, university colleges, innovative companies and start-ups.
A Jury formed of regional professionals will pre-select the most suitable candidates at the beginning of September. A 12 member high-level Jury, nominated in agreement with the European Commission, will select the final 10 artists or artistic groups.
Results will be announced at the end of September and residencies will last from October 2021 to June 2022 (maximum 6 months).
The Open Call remains open until Monday, August 30, 2021 at 23.00h CET.
For more information and to join the open call: S+T+ARTS4Water Open Call
The S+T+ARTS4Water Consortium is lead by LUCA School of Arts (Belgium) and includes Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary – TBA21 (Austria), Universal Research Institute (Croatia), V2_Lab for the Unstable Media (The Netherlands), Ohi Pezoume / UrbanDig Project (Greece) and Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto (Italy) and in collaboration with STARTS partners Gluon (Belgium) and BOZAR (Belgium).
S+T+ARTS (Science, Technology & the Arts) is an initiative of the European Commission, launched under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Its purpose is to support collaborations between artists, scientists, engineers and researchers to develop more creative, inclusive, and sustainable technologies.
Funded by:
EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology.
