WINNER OF “EXPONE 2023” AWARDS

ASTER (https://aster.us.es/), funded by FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) and led by two professors from the University of Seville (Principal Investigator 1: Dr. Rocío García Robles and Principal Investigator 2: Dr. Áurea Muñoz del Amo), has been awarded two prizes in the EXPONE 2023 call for submissions by AMMA (Association of Museologists and Museum Professionals of Andalusia): 1st Prize for the Best Andalusian Exhibition Project Runner-up (2nd prize) in the Special Audience Award category. All of this is in recognition of their innovation in promoting transdisciplinary co-creation and scientific-artistic communication to society on current scientific topics. The project stands out for its innovative methodological approach, sustainable implementation, and its non-elitist and open nature, accessible to the entire society. We are immensely grateful to the ETSII (Higher Technical School of Engineering and Industrial Design) for their support in organizing the 1st edition of ASTER Hack-SciArt, as well as to the COAAT (Official College of Quantity Surveyors and Technical Architects of Seville) for hosting the resulting exhibition at their foundation. We are also very thankful to the faculty members of the Department of CCIA (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence) and the Faculty of Biology, who suggested the scientific topics transformed into SciArt works. We hope you can share in our joy and we invite you to visit our exhibition in Linz from September 6th to 10th.

ARTWORKS THAT ARE PART OF THE EXHIBITION

EPHIMERAL ARTWORKS

The ASTER research project (financed with European funds for regional development FEDER)
focuses on the synergy Art-Science-Technology-Society, proposing an inter and transdisciplinary research allowing the development of collaborative work methodologies. The purpose is to build bridges of thought and learning between different areas of knowledge and society, promoting SciArt and STEAM experiences, with the aim of creating art inspired by science, and communicating science through art.

The project has had a holistic approach, since it has addressed innovation from the methodological point of view, practical experimentation, and the dissemination of results always based on democratic values (the experience has been open to society, to people from different disciplines and fields of knowledge, without elitism and encouraging transdisciplinary co-creation), and sustainable values (the hackathon took place in two modalities: face-to-face and online, so as to avoid travel with environmental impact).

From the beginning, resources have been efficiently managed, covering the following milestones with the 55,000 euros of the project:

– Contract of two professionals to provide technical and research support to the project.

– Attendance at the ISEA 2022, HYBRID 2022 congresses by ten members of the project.

– Two research stays (one week at the Ars Electronica Festival 2022 for the two PIs, and one month at the Ars Electronica in 2023 for PI 1).

– Production of all the works resulting from the exhibition, and award of a prize to the team participating in the hackathon that best meets the quality criteria of a SciArt work.

– Dissemination in different media, social networks and through the project website in two languages (ES, EN).

The execution of the projects has counted on:

• The methodologies, means and technical support of the ASTERISM research group (Art, Science, Technology, Engineering Research: Innovation, Synergies and Methodologies led by Dr. Rocío García Robles) specialized in transdisciplinary methodologies and the use of technologies applied to the SciArt and STEAM fields.
• The experience in artistic production, cultural management and organizational support of the research group Gráfica y Creación Digital (directed by Dr. Áurea Muñoz del Amo). 

In the Andalusian environment, where technologies are in the process of integration with artistic, cultural and informative practices, all project participants have been supported by the collaborative work and the fraternal spirit that has been one of the most valued incentives in this experience, in the opinion of those involved.

In addition, the initial objectives of the project have been met in terms of the study of the Research Questions, which are part of the final report.

Por último, a los propios miembros del equipo ASTER ha sorprendido el impacto en los medios de comunicación de la exposición final organizada en las salas expositivas de la Fundación del Colegio de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos of Seville(COATT), a quienes el proyecto les está inmensamente agradecido por su valentía al aceptar el reto que la co-creación y exposición de las obras SciArt resultantes. También hemos contado con el apoyo inestimable apoyo de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática (ETSII) de la Universidad de Sevilla por prestar sus instalaciones para la ejecución del hackatón.  

Finally, the members of the ASTER team themselves have been surprised by the media impact of the final exhibition organized in the exhibition halls of the Fundación del Colegio de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos de Sevilla (COATT), to whom the project is immensely grateful for their courage in accepting the challenge of co-creating and exhibiting the resulting SciArt works. We have also had the invaluable support of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática (ETSII) of the University of Seville for lending its facilities for the execution of the hackathon.

Proof of the quality of the project and its results is also the international projection of the exhibition, as a selection of the works will be shown at the Ars Electronica Festival 2023 (Linz, Austria), and one of the artists participating in the hackathon will be sent to participate in a co-creation meeting of the EUNIC in Bangkok at the express invitation of the Spanish Embassy in Thailand. In addition, they have invited the final exhibition of the project to participate in the call for EXPONE awards organized by the Association of Museologists and Museographers of Andalusia. The project has also promoted a STEAM experience in Secondary Education and High School, which has led to the development of several science projects with an artistic approach.