Programme | click on the session title to watch the live stream
Welcome and Setting the Scene
Power, Politics and the cost of AI
In her new book "Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence", Kate Crawford argues that the rules, choices, systems and businesses behind AI’s current developments are not aimed to benefit all, but are rather designed to serve a small group of people, intensifying existing systems of power. We know AI technologies should be built carefully, with equality and privacy in mind. Likewise, we are aware about the enormous benefits they could bring in solving social or environmental challenges such as climate change. What should be done to build a more environmentally friendly, equal, inclusive and democratic AI? What's the role played by collaborations between policymakers, businesses, research centers, artists and citizens, if any?
Città verso il Green Deal
Stiamo attraversando la prima crisi economica dell’Antropocene. Esiste un legame tra la pandemia, la crisi climatica e l'impoverimento della biodiversità: Questo è un campanello d’allarme, un invito a trasformare le nostre città verso la neutralità climatica. Le città saranno il motore del cambiamento verso una transizione verde ed ecologica, sarà quindi prioritario riorganizzare la vita urbana e promuovere un'innovazione sostenibile e democratica che non aumenti le disuguaglianze sociali. Questo non implica abbandonare la città per tornare alla campagna, ma immaginare un modello decentralizzato che integri meglio la dimensione urbana con quella rurale. L'architetto Rem Koolhaas parla di “campagna intelligente per un futuro sostenibile”. Dovremo anche ripensare gli spazi pubblici, decarbonizzare le nostre città, stabilire un nuovo rapporto con la natura, pianificare un nuovo modo di lavorare, bilanciare il tempo che trascorriamo a casa e in ufficio.
Questo panel riflette sulle città verdi, digitali e democratiche post-pandemiche e su cosa dobbiamo lavorare affinché il cambiamento sia radicale.
Post Pandemic Cities: Arts, science, and participatory creativity in the city
Digitalization and the green transition pose some of the biggest challenges of our time. Digital and green change must mean interdisciplinary thinking and acting that puts forward the technical, the economic but also the human, cultural and artistic dimensions. New alliances are needed between technology and artistic practices, cultural institutions, scientists and the industry, as supported by the European Initiative STARTS. The methods grounded in artistic practice are ideal for producing innovations that, while disruptive and radical, also foster positive, pluralistic, and inclusive change. It’s important that these methods and their consequences transcend the artistic milieu and can inform how we design future cities and future societal systems.
Rapporto tra comunità e arti nella dimensione fisica e digitale
L'anno scorso abbiamo assistito ad un significativo aumento della capacità degli artisti di interagire con le comunità attraverso la tecnologia, ma le pratiche relazionali hanno, storicamente, una radice più profonda nella ricerca e produzione artistica.
In questa sessione scopriremo tre diverse esperienze che mettono la comunità al centro delle loro pratiche, osservandole da diverse angolazioni, dimostrando come gli artisti siano riusciti a mantenere un legame con la comunità anche in questo anno senza precedenti. Esploreremo anche come le città possano promuovere e sostenere questi processi nel graduale ritorno alla "normalità".
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Participation, co-creation and imagination for more democratic cities: Best practices across Europe
This session is about bringing together different initiatives and approaches that unleash the potential of arts and collaborations to bring about change and solve social challenges. From the Untitled Festival, to the experience of the European Cultural Foundation and the initiative Participedia, we can learn what these organisations are doing to reimagine a more participative, democratic and inclusive future for all.
Connected Bodies - virtual physical blending in future hybrid worlds
Ghislaine Boddington has advocated for the placement of the living physical body as the digital interface itself through her long term engaged research 'The Internet of Bodies’. She will present her thoughts here on our lived experience to date, and on our future multi-selves, examining the positive and negative issues emerging from the ongoing convergence of our bodies and our technologies.
With reference to her practise led research in the body and technology (1989 - present) she will explore:
+ the history of the connectivity of bodies through telepresence
+ the present scenario, fast forwarded by the COVID19 lockdown pandemic requirements for near universal remote digital communication, and today’s relationship between our physical selves and our emerging data selves
+ the potential creative extensions (and issues) that are held within the future of connected bodies, indicated by the rapid advancement of virtual physical hybrid environment/s.
Has the body finally become the interface? What are the issues for not owning our personal data in relationship to the changing definitions of identity and self-hood? How do we prepare for the future of work with these changes in mind?
STRINGS in the city Unwired Dance Theatre
STRINGS in the City is a live-streamed and interactive dance performance. Through connected wearables placed on each arm and leg, the dancer reacts to the collective actions of an online audience.
The dancer is found inanimate, incapable of navigating the public space after several months of self-isolation, fighting against anxiety and apathy, and contemplating the self. She will rely on the audience interactions to help her live through movement again and reconnect with the outside world.
Using this interactive system, the audience is able to watch the performance in live-stream while collectively deciding how the dancer should move from their phone. Each instruction acts as invisible strings to (re)animate a living and dancing body.
New frontiers of technology and science: ethics and AI
Advancement in art, technology and science combined with new design and aesthetics give us new possibilities to interact with our bodies and minds, as well as proposing solutions to some of our social and human challenges today. But where are these innovations taking us?
Starting from the work of the artists/projects created / curated by, and referencing research undertaken in this field by curators Josè Luis De Vicente and Ghislaine Boddington, this session explores aspects of technology and AI, leading to a critical conversation on the future evolutions of art and machine learning collaborations.
Cities for Digital Rights
The Cities Coalition for Digital Rights, launched by the Cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona and New York in November 2018 and now with a membership of over 50 cities worldwide, is a network of cities helping each other to implement digital policies based on digital rights and digital democracy. The Coalition is committed to promoting and defending digital rights in urban context through city action, to resolve common digital challenges and work towards legal, ethical and operational frameworks to advance human rights in digital environments. How can citizens regain control of their data, and how can data be leveraged for the common good at city level? Can we further strengthen this Agenda in the European context now that Europe is investing lots of fresh resources in the Next-Generation EU?
The football data revolution through AI
Data, advanced algorithms, and mathematical models: the world of sport is changing. Technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning is helping rights owners and rights holders enhance the fan experience of the future.
In this session, hosted by Deltatre’s Group Chief Evangelist, Carlo De Marchis, the conversation will cover the future of how fans will consume sport, observed through the lenses of data and innovation.
Hear from Pietro Marini, Group Head of Innovation at Deltatre, Morgana Lalli, Data Scientist at Deltatre, and Adriano Bacconi of Math&Sport, the innovative start-up focussed on the optimization of athlete’s performances and game tactics using advanced mathematics and data science.
STRINGS in the city Unwired Dance Theatre
STRINGS in the City is a live-streamed and interactive dance performance. Through connected wearables placed on each arm and leg, the dancer reacts to the collective actions of an online audience.
The dancer is found inanimate, incapable of navigating the public space after several months of self-isolation, fighting against anxiety and apathy, and contemplating the self. She will rely on the audience interactions to help her live through movement again and reconnect with the outside world.
Using this interactive system, the audience is able to watch the performance in live-stream while collectively deciding how the dancer should move from their phone. Each instruction acts as invisible strings to (re)animate a living and dancing body.
An urban and green future for our post-pandemic cities
How do we imagine the city of the future? Will it be more green and climate friendly? Carlo Ratti presents some of the innovation trends affecting our urban environment and explores how the pandemic has changed our way of living and how it might affect how we interact and live in the city of the future.
Introduction
Could COVID-19 be sparking a leap forward in how we organise collective intelligence - for communities, science and imagination
How can communities live together after social distancing? How can arts, imagination and collective intelligence help them overcome the obstacles brought by the pandemic and imagine a more prosperous and inclusive future? Prof. Geoff Mulgan will accompany us in a journey towards some alternatives of the future, made possible thanks to the combination of technology, people knowledge and the arts.
Cross-sector initiatives: culture, sustainable development and technology
The activities led by Nesta Italia in Piedmont brought together research, industrial, institutional and network actors already active in promoting cross-sector initiatives for the development of the local and / or national territory. In this panel, we will explore the initiatives carried out by some of our STARTS partners like the Open Call “Sognare Stupinigi” by the Consulta di Torino. We will also hear the vision and experience of a key corporate player such as Lavazza in leading initiatives at the intersection of technology, science and arts and the important role of ecosystem players such as Torino Social Impact in fostering collaborations and communities in these fields.
Exploring Relationships between body and tech through art
In the contemporary era, the impact of technology and scientific research on our lives is now evident and unequivocal. Computers increasingly performing at hardware and software level, devices progressively more wearable, data production in constant and uncontrolled increase, researches more in-depth in the field of artificial intelligence, let us imagine a future scenario in which human beings will be in increasingly close contact with technologies that will affect our lives in ways not yet fully conceivable.
Our "new bodies" will be codified and mapped, "augmented" in their physical and relational capacities, able to "develop" new expressive codes that the world of art and design, but also of fashion and performance in a broader sense, probe with growing interest.
Today, a series of artists are working to produce objects and artistic experiences that investigate languages, processes, aesthetics and modes of dialogue between the new expanded bodies and the environment, understood as a compendium between the technological environment (data), nature (biosphere) and the social environment (relationships).
Introduction - STARTS City of the Future Open Call
Speakers to be confirmed
Paola Sabbione"City of the future" is the STARTS Open Call for Artists and Creatives launched in September 2020 by Nesta Italia, with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo and the European Commission. The Open Call is a tool by which, in accordance to both Nesta Italia and Compagnia di San Paolo visions, enhance collaborations between different areas of work, thus contributing to Turin’s and the Piedmont region’s development, transforming the local territory into a hub for talents, skills, creativity and entrepreneurship.
In this session, together with the winning artists and the organisations who worked with them as technological, scientific and cultural partners, we will explore the results of the three months residency period, delving into the research and production processes and the dynamics of these intersectoral collaborations.
STRINGS in the city Unwired Dance Theatre
STRINGS in the City is a live-streamed and interactive dance performance. Through connected wearables placed on each arm and leg, the dancer reacts to the collective actions of an online audience.
The dancer is found inanimate, incapable of navigating the public space after several months of self-isolation, fighting against anxiety and apathy, and contemplating the self. She will rely on the audience interactions to help her live through movement again and reconnect with the outside world.
Using this interactive system, the audience is able to watch the performance in live-stream while collectively deciding how the dancer should move from their phone. Each instruction acts as invisible strings to (re)animate a living and dancing body.
What Remains Unseen - STARTS City of the Future Open Call
"What Remains Unseen" is a computational art project developed by Researcher and Media Artist Giulia Taurino PhD in the context of the STARTS Residency “City of the future”, in collaboration with ISI Foundation, Associazione Arteco and Musei Reali Torino.
The aim of this project is to investigate the concept of “invisibility” (meant as failure, unsuccess) within cultural systems and institutions and, by means of a randomization process, to subvert the centre/periphery dichotomy giving new centrality to marginalized artworks.
Soother - STARTS City of the Future
"Soother" is an ASMR voice assistant, released as open-source software and embedded within a prototype app. The project is developed by Claire Tolan in collaboration with CELI and Superbudda."ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) describes a tingling sensation in the scalp, a physiological reaction triggered by soft sounds, such as whispers and nail-tapping. Over the past decade, ASMR has grown into a sub-cultural phenomenon, which Tolan has been investigating since 2013. Thus, the goal of the project is to create a playful, light-hearted companion able to convey a sense of intimacy and relief, to help users find ways to cope with the difficulties of the present moment.
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States of growth - STARTS City of the Future
‘States Of Growth - tangible and intangible structures’ explores types of intelligence and the nature of growth, manifested in ever changing virtual sculptures. The project is inspired by common patterns and scaling tools, which are found across the brain and urban structures – taking inspiration from fractals and differential growth. The artwork combines a specially designed computational growing system which is being influenced by segments of the audiences' active and passive data in real-time, leading to a symbiotic digital artwork. The art and science collaboration challenges perceptions of artificial intelligence and automation of nature and urban growth and discusses a balanced collaboration between diverse voices, nature and computation. Together with Politecnico di Torino and Turin’s first condominium museum viadellafucina, Studio Above&Below looked into brain structures, growing systems and human needs for interaction and green living within future cities.
European projects shaping our cities
There are many examples of artists, technologists and scientists who are shaping our European cities. They bring new perspectives, solutions and awareness about topics relevant for society, often not addressed by the people in charge. What's the vision behind these creative artworks / interventions? What are the approaches taken and the impact generated? How are these professionals collaborating with businesses, engineers and scientists to make this change happen?
In this session. successful artists and technologists will share with us their experience and advice in building great products and services thanks to strong collaborations and a clear vision.
Each speaker brings its own project and answers the questions above referring on how their work is shaping cities today and the cities of the future.
Cross-sector artistic practices: Trends and Insights
How will the intersection between contemporary arts, emerging technologies and science evolve after the pandemic? Which of the most urgent social and environmental challenges are already addressed by artistic research? Which ones, instead, sould become more relevant? We will explore emerging trends and upcoming initiatives to understand how cultural institutions intend to support these new instances in artistic research and production.
Furthermore we will try to understand how artists and creatives interpret the concept of “social good” going through the six projects chosen as semifinalists of the STARTS Prize for Social Good.
In this session you will hear the key insights from some of the judges involved in the evaluation and the 6 semi finalists will be showcased with a video.
Fostering alliances across Europe: the importance of STARTS Regional Centers
The STARTS regional Centers are a key initiative to expand the STARTS initiative on a local level towards a number of European Regions. Today we have a strong and locally grounded network of players shaping up new innovation spaces and collaborative practices between the field of art, industry, business and research. The STARTS Regional Centers believe artists teaming up with technologists are capable of imagining a more viable future for European societies, economically, socially and ecologically. In this panel we bring together some of the main experiences in Europe to discuss the future of the STARTS Regional Centers Network and how they are contributing to Europe's vision for a digital humanism that put people and the environment at the center.