A free STEAM education workshop will be held online on 16th June 2021 by staff and students from MA Art and Science (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London), and led by WRHI Visiting Professors Nathan Cohen and Heather Barnett. The event will examine new STEAM methods developed as part of the Erasmus+ STEAM INC project examining higher education, engagement and policy.
The workshop is part of a large educational programme on the integration of arts and science funded by the European Union and run by six European universities and one cultural organisation who have pioneered STEAM approaches and methods.
The STEAM Inc Sites of Practice event will be of particular interest to educators, curriculum designers, pedagogy students and researchers and we hope that participants bring a broad range of disciplinary specialisms across the arts and sciences. Whether you are already working with STEAM education or are curious to find out more about how interdisciplinary methods could apply to your context, we look forward to interesting exploration and discussion.
Sites of Practice: new interdisciplinary methods of investigation
Wednesday 16 June 2021
Japan time (JST): 5:00-8:00 pm & 10:00-12:00 pm
[equivalent to UK time (BST) 9.00-12.00 & 14.00-16.00]
FREE event. Online on Zoom, hosted by Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London)
What you can gain from attending Sites of Practice?
Greater understanding of interdisciplinary STEAM practices
Examination of the potential of ‘site’ as a tool for interdisciplinary investigation
Insights into methods for developing interdisciplinary curriculum for HE
Tools for developing innovative methods for combining digital and situated learning
Connecting with others working in and developing STEAM educational tools and methods.
Keywords: art and science, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, STEAM, Higher Education, methodology, new methods, investigations, site work, Site-specificity, hybrid practices, pedagogy.
Schedule (PM, this is an evening event due to time difference with the UK):
5.00 Introduction to the day (including STEAM Inc context)
This article introduces the programme “Hybrid Innovation” Creating the Future: Transcending Boundaries through Multi-Communication, a new collaboration between Tokyo Tech and Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (scroll down for English text).
A new collaboration was launched between the Tokyo Institute of Technology, a leading science and technology university, and Central Saint Martins (CSM), University of the Arts London, a world leader in art and design. The fusion of science and art can create a great wave of innovation in society and industry, beyond research and education. Following this approach, we have been engaging in various unique activities. → READ Prof. Nohara’s interview “Encouraging technological innovation through ‘translation'”: Tokyo Tech’s surprising research: a new discipline that enables the fusion of science and art, on Toyo Keizai ONLINE 2021.1.16 (in Japanese).
Our Science & Art Lab “Creative Flow” started in 2009. We have been running joint workshops on “Concept Designing” in collaboration with Musashino Art University and promoted dialogue between science and art in the Creative Café series. Collaboration between students and researchers from both disciplines has been shown to improve soft skills such as creativity, team management, communication, and problem-solving.
In 2017, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and CSM teamed up again to further promote the integration of knowledge across disciplines through speculative and interdisciplinary research activities such as: “the Experiment” Symposium (2017), the research project “Existential Wearables: what are we going to wear in Tokyo in 10 years’ time?” (2018), the joint workshop “Becoming Hybrid” (2019), and the design workshop “Hacking Hearts” (2019) about biotechnological research on the heart. This collaboration is recognized as a WRHI Satellite Lab at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, a centre for interdisciplinary research and creative practice between science and art.
At the point of contact between science & technology and art/design, we find ourselves bound by assumptions and habits as we encounter “others” who are different from us. We recognize alternative language cultures, ways of thinking and values. By leaving a comfort zone that is protected by homogeneous culture and placing ourselves in an interdisciplinary space, we can translate ourselves and embody a shift in thinking. Against this backdrop, we are implementing a program for companies that integrates human resources and information from different fields.
In a time of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), we cannot face future challenges with a fresh perspective if we remain complacent in existing fields and rely only on formulaic, conventional thinking. Innovation must be implemented in a social sense, not only in a technological sense. This requires innovation in our way of thinking. What is needed is a roadmap to think flexibly and overcome the segmentation of knowledge.
In this program, participating companies will experience a “Hybrid Innovation” process to establish a culture and methodology for creating innovation and transforming ideas. They will work with a diverse range of staff from Tokyo Tech and CSM, including scientists, engineers, artists, designers and philosophers, to provide a range of dynamic activities that connect science, technology and art. The participants will experience a multi-communication space and discussion where ideas reflect values, feelings and psychology without being bound by existing frameworks, and will gain insights for planning and executing strategies for creating unique innovation in their companies.
Program period: October 2022 – April 2023 (pre-season event in August/September 2022)
Application period: June 1, 2022 – September 15, 2022
Program contents: Seminars, workshops, manufacturing, experiments, and creative community activities that will be carried out flexibly face-to-face and/or online. The program will be concluded with a final symposium (limited to participating companies and open to the public).