Ars Electronica Center, Ars Electronica festival and above all the Futurelab are very good examples of artists and creators as stakeholders in RRI processes. This is something that has already been discussed in this blog. In its 37 years of life, the festival core mission has been to scrutinise the main issue of how society and technology influence each other and ever since, the Ars Electronica group keeps on developing new concepts and working in new processes to achieve this.

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is an attempt to reconcile economic interests with the need to become a more sustainable society and the imperative to protect people from avoidable hardships (through jobs, medical support, etc.). Providing solutions to ethical challenges is thus high on the agenda of RRI.

The first step to solve a problem is to acknowledge that it actually exists, rather than to ignore it or talk it away. In a second step the problem needs to be characterised, and increasingly, described by a number of different points of view, currently done through various so-called participative processes that include not only scientists or businessmen but also e.g. consumers, farmers, or other related stakeholders. In an ideal world, the third and last step has all these different views considered when trying to find a solution that is OK for most or everybody.

We do not often see artists and creators mentioned as stakeholders considered in an RRI process. Yet the Ars Electronica Festival that took place 8-12 September 2016 in Linz, Austria, offers a convincing statement for their role in the innovation process. The Ars Electronica Festival for Art, Technology, and Society, is 80,000 m2 of space for conferences and speeches, exhibitions and projects, concerts and performances, animated films and awards ceremonies, guided tours and workshops. 85,000 visits and 534 events on five days, 842 participating artists and scientists from 50 countries.

Here are just a few images to demonstrate powerful connections between art and science. For more, have a look here and there .

 
Courtesy of Local Androids and Anouk Wipprecht

That was the question we posed at a public debate organized by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Sofia Science Festival 2016 which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. From 12th to 15th May the capital of Bulgaria was transformed into a capital of the science world. Different stands at Zaimov park revealed the wonders of the world we all live in. Laws of physics made forks and spoons defy gravity, ancient skeleton mystery was revealed, space adventures were shown at a closer look, many of us stepped into Antarctic explorers’ shoes while others got to know the virus from inside, and we all had the chance to print in 3D our favourite cartoon character. And while some people could “touch” science outside in the park, many others attended the lectures inside the Sofia theatre, where scientists discussed hot topics on stage, little known facts were placed under the spotlight and citizens could learn the truth from its very source - the researchers and scientists. Discussions on gravitational waves, extraterrestrial life and gene editing naturally lead to the question of responsibility and ethics in research.

From 1st to 6th of June 2015, scientists, science communication specialists from all over the world and the general public gathered in Nancy (France) for the Science & You event which aimed at presenting and discussing science communication today.

RRI Tools held a stand there to explain the project and to meet the community. We gave the visitors the opportunity to present their RRI practices. In particular, their were asked to add on a billboard the practices and tools they were aware of across Europe. Among the varied inspiring contributions, we discovered the promising

Ars Electronica Center, Ars Electronica festival and above all the Futurelab are very good examples of artists and creators as stakeholders in RRI processes. This is something that has already been discussed in this blog. In its 37 years of life, the festival core mission has been to scrutinise the main issue of how society and technology influence each other and ever since, the Ars Electronica group keeps on developing new concepts and working in new processes to achieve this.

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is an attempt to reconcile economic interests with the need to become a more sustainable society and the imperative to protect people from avoidable hardships (through jobs, medical support, etc.). Providing solutions to ethical challenges is thus high on the agenda of RRI.

The first step to solve a problem is to acknowledge that it actually exists, rather than to ignore it or talk it away. In a second step the problem needs to be characterised, and increasingly, described by a number of different points of view, currently done through various so-called participative processes that include not only scientists or businessmen but also e.g. consumers, farmers, or other related stakeholders. In an ideal world, the third and last step has all these different views considered when trying to find a solution that is OK for most or everybody.

We do not often see artists and creators mentioned as stakeholders considered in an RRI process. Yet the Ars Electronica Festival that took place 8-12 September 2016 in Linz, Austria, offers a convincing statement for their role in the innovation process. The Ars Electronica Festival for Art, Technology, and Society, is 80,000 m2 of space for conferences and speeches, exhibitions and projects, concerts and performances, animated films and awards ceremonies, guided tours and workshops. 85,000 visits and 534 events on five days, 842 participating artists and scientists from 50 countries.

Here are just a few images to demonstrate powerful connections between art and science. For more, have a look here and there .

 
Courtesy of Local Androids and Anouk Wipprecht

That was the question we posed at a public debate organized by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Sofia Science Festival 2016 which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. From 12th to 15th May the capital of Bulgaria was transformed into a capital of the science world. Different stands at Zaimov park revealed the wonders of the world we all live in. Laws of physics made forks and spoons defy gravity, ancient skeleton mystery was revealed, space adventures were shown at a closer look, many of us stepped into Antarctic explorers’ shoes while others got to know the virus from inside, and we all had the chance to print in 3D our favourite cartoon character. And while some people could “touch” science outside in the park, many others attended the lectures inside the Sofia theatre, where scientists discussed hot topics on stage, little known facts were placed under the spotlight and citizens could learn the truth from its very source - the researchers and scientists. Discussions on gravitational waves, extraterrestrial life and gene editing naturally lead to the question of responsibility and ethics in research.

From 1st to 6th of June 2015, scientists, science communication specialists from all over the world and the general public gathered in Nancy (France) for the Science & You event which aimed at presenting and discussing science communication today.

RRI Tools held a stand there to explain the project and to meet the community. We gave the visitors the opportunity to present their RRI practices. In particular, their were asked to add on a billboard the practices and tools they were aware of across Europe. Among the varied inspiring contributions, we discovered the promising