S+T+ARTS Hungry Ecocities Phase 2: Call for artists in the agri-food sector
Scope and expected outcomes
Hungry EcoCities puts forward a high-level alliance between science, technology, and the arts, to effectively explore how digital technologies & applications can lead in turn to reduced food waste, more sustainable value chains, eco-friendly attitudes, and a more ethical food consumption.
The project is part of the S+T+ARTS residencies, funded from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. In Hungry EcoCities, studios, universities, growers, and agricultural specialists team up with artists and creative thinkers to come up with new ideas for the future food system. The project consortium, consisting of 8 partners across 6 EU countries, will run two open calls throughout the project to select up to 20 art-driven experiments.
Hungry EcoCities is dedicated to creating innovative prototypes for products and services in the agri-food sector. Our approach involves seeking artistic inspiration to address industrial and societal challenges in unconventional ways. The project will include up to 10 collaborative experiments between art and the agri-food industry, which we refer to as Paths to Progress Experiments (PPEs).
Destination
The PPEs will demonstrate how AI-enabled artistic experiments can effectively lead to human-centered sustainable working prototypes for new agricultural products and services. They will increase inclusiveness, explore ethical considerations, and realize technological progress in unusual meetings of minds from the technological, artistic, and industrial world leading to innovative experiences and artistic prototypes exploring alternative futures for agriculture and food systems design. T
he experiments will be tested, demonstrated, and showcased to develop Technology Readiness Level 5/6 (also known as TRL, see the definition and stages of TRL in FAQ) prototypes tested in the actual environment of the 10 industrial partners along the agri-food value chain.
The PPEs are defined as consortia consisting of 2 entities, so that one industrial End-User (the entity) and one artist (the natural person) collaborate as a team, to reach the tested prototyping stage with the project resources and within the established timeframe.
The 2nd Hungry EcoCities Open Call - Call for Art-Driven Experiments - consists of two phases:
1st Phase [CLOSED]: Between 15 February and 15 May 2024, an Open Call for EndUsers was carried out to receive applications from individual SMEs (including startups) interested in enhancing their product/service design and/or production/processes within the agrifood value chain. Proposals submitted by EndUsers underwent a selection process and the selected SMEs have been invited to participate in the program. Up to 10 winning proposals by SMEs will begin the 1st Stage of project implementation in September 2024.
2nd Phase: An Open Call for receiving applications from individual Artists is launched. Artists interested in combining technology, art, and science who have knowledge or relevant experience in the food domain or relevant existing prototypes/ projects are invited to apply and enter the selection process. Pre-validated Artists will be invited to join the HECLab platform of Hungry EcoCities to continue their application process. On the HEClab, a matchmaking process between candidates and SMEs (End-Users) will be facilitated to pre-select 2 Artists per SME. Each pre-selected artist will form a team with the SME and prepare artistic prototyping proposals for collaboration in the support programme. The final team composed of one Artist and one SME End-User will collaborate in Stages 2 and 3 of the programme.
Hungry EcoCities will fund up to 10 Paths to Progress Experiments (PPEs) through the Call for Art-Driven Experiments:
During the 2nd phase - Call for Artists - Hungry EcoCities will pre-select up to 20 finalist Artists for participation in the Jury Day stage.
From the pre-selected finalists, up to 10 Artists will be ultimately selected to join the PPE residency and form teams with the End-Users.
The 10 collaborative experiments between art, science and industry, consisting of 1 End-User and 1 Artist (PPEs) will demonstrate how AI-enabled artistic experiments can effectively lead to human-centered sustainable working prototypes for new agricultural products and services.
The goal of the PPEis to develop, test and validate innovative applications of (AI) technology with food chain SMEs in their real environment leading to:
lasting innovative results for the End-users,
wider effects in the food chain,
proofing the value of creatives (artists) as innovators.
Conditions
he selected PPEs are expected to work together on a proposal to tackle a challenge in a concrete test site provided by the End-User (e.g., supermarket, bio farm, community garden, production facility, restaurant).
The steps within the 2nd Hungry EcoCities Open Call, 2nd Phase Call for Artists until the collaboration of the selected End-Users with the matched Artists within the Paths to Progress Experiments are as follows:
Application Form submission by Artists, including HECLab card creation;
Pre-validation of the Artist applicants;
The matchmaking process on the HECLab2 with pre-validated Artists reaching out to the End-Users to collaborate. The process will also be supported by the Hungry EcoCities consortium;
Pre-selection of up to 20 Artists with the assistance of the End-User beneficiaries (2 Artists per 1 End-User beneficiary);
Artistic prototyping proposal preparation on concrete industrial end-user scenario challenges, in interaction with the assigned End-User beneficiary and support of a Hungry EcoCities mentor;
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