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[Podcast] Co-creation and Build ArtTech Community to Deal with Sustainable Issue

6 January, 2025

Keywords: Sustainable development, co-creation, ArtTech community, technology and art

Within the framework of the international series ArtTech Fusion 2024 (ATF24) of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), the panel discussion with the theme “Co-creation to Build ArtTech Community to Deal with Sustainable Issue” by leading domestic and international speakers provided insights into the intersection between art and technology in solving global challenges, towards a community together to build a sustainable future.

The panel discussion with the theme “Co-creation to Build ArtTech Community to Deal with Sustainable Issue” was attended by Assoc.Prof.Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh, Vice Rector of the UEH College of Technology and Design (CTD); Prof. Martin Kaltenbrunner, a researcher and an artist from the Linz Institute of Art (Austria); Assoc. Prof. Fillipa Martins – Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Saint Joseph University (Macau); Prof. Andrea Giansanti – Pantheon Institute of Design & Technology (Italy).

Figure 1. Panel discussion Co-creation to Build ArtTech Community to Deal with Sustainable Issue

The speakers presented the importance of collaboration among designers, artists, engineers and other stakeholders in building a strong ArtTech community. In addition, they provided real examples of how multidisciplinary teams can work together to create innovative solutions to complex problems.

Figure 2. Keynote speakers participating in the main session include Prof. Martin Kaltenbrunner, Prof. Fillipa Martins, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh and Prof. Andrea Giansanti

Co-creation model – Connection between stakeholders

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh, Vice Rector of UEH College of Technology and Design (CTD), shared the important role of design in creating sustainable products and services. In the current context, when social and environmental issues are becoming increasingly urgent, she affirmed the necessity of researching and applying design to serve market needs and to solve global challenges. Through creative art projects combining technology, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Thuy Anh has highlighted the role of multidisciplinary cooperation and active community participation. She introduced the “4-party” model: Private (private enterprise), Public (government), People (community) and Partners (partners) with the purpose of demonstrating the close connection between these factors in building sustainable solutions. This is not only a collaboration between art and technology but also a powerful creative model to promote sustainable development and to improve the quality of life.

Figure 3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh – Vice Rector of UEH College of Technology and Design (CTD) discussing the co-creation model of stakeholders in the issue of sustainable development

She also presented some case studies on co-creation projects in Vietnam to build a sustainable ArtTech community, for example, the LIT – Light Exhibition of Sunlife Vietnam, SONGLAB Digital Art Center in Hue.

Figure 4. SONGLAB Digital Art Center in Hue

Figure 5. LIT – Light Exhibition of Sunlife Vietnam

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh has demonstrated that ArtTech, a field combining art and technology, is not simply creative works, actually, this is a powerful tool to help solve social and environmental problems. By connecting designers, artists, engineers, scientists and local communities, the projects she leads have created unique works of art while bringing practical values ​​to society, contributing to raising awareness and changing community behavior.

Interactive Technology and Art in Raising Awareness of Climate Change

  1. Prof. Martin Kaltenbrunner, a researcher and an artist from the Linz Institute of Art, Austria, made a strong impression at the session with his innovative projects that apply interactive technology to create novel and profound artistic experiences. One of the outstanding projects he mentioned was Dodeka OTTO, a virtual reality (VR) application that allows participants to experience in a visual and vivid way the impacts of climate change on the environment and people.

The Dodeka OTTO project is not simply an artistic experience, rather, it is a powerful tool to help viewers feel and confront the serious environmental changes we are facing. Through virtual reality technologies, participants can “enter” a virtual world where phenomena listed as ice melting, heat waves, floods and the negative impacts of climate change become clearer and more realistic than ever. The use of virtual reality enhances interactivity and helps create an artistic space that viewers can feel, beyond theory, actually, through direct experience.

Mr. Kaltenbrunner believes that art, when combined with technology, can create strong emotional responses in people, surpassing the boundaries of common knowledge and reaching deeply into the emotions of viewers. Art can make abstract and seemingly distant issues, listed as climate change, more concrete and accessible, creating changes in community awareness and behavior. Artworks like Dodeka OTTO help us see and feel the urgency of global issues.

In addition, he emphasized that the development of technology will bring new tools for artistic expression and open up new opportunities for artists to participate in social and environmental movements. Technology helps artists access unlimited creative expression methods and expand the influence of art beyond traditional spaces, contributing to creating positive impacts in the community.

In the context that the globe is facing climate change and environmental crises, creations as Dodeka OTTO are clear evidence of the power of art combined with technology in raising public awareness while creating positive, long-term impacts, contributing to a more sustainable future for the world.

Figure 6. Dodeka OTTO

Building an ArtTech community in Macau

Assoc.Prof Fillipa Martins – Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Saint Joseph’s University (Macau) – made an impressive presentation at the panel discussion on creative projects from Macau, especially on building an ArtTech community to address sustainability challenges. She introduced a unique creative model where artists, technologists and the community collaborate to create innovative solutions to address pressing environmental and social issues. One of the features of her projects is co-creation – a multidisciplinary collaboration process that involves artists, technology, and the local community. This is a model in which all parties are involved in the design and implementation of sustainable solutions. A/Prof. Martins emphasized that, in a world facing increasingly complex issues such as climate change, declining natural resources and social inequality, the collaboration between art and technology is the key towards developing effective and innovative initiatives.

A key highlight of Ms. Martins’ ArtTech projects is the combination of modern technology and Macau’s unique cultural heritage. Macau, with its long history and mixture of Eastern and Western cultures, has a rich cultural heritage. Ms. Martins pointed out that while technology can provide advanced technical solutions, cultural heritage provides spiritual values, historical stories and traditional methods that can help build more sustainable solutions. By combining these two elements, ArtTech projects in Macau can bring technological benefits and help preserve and promote the precious cultural values ​​of the locality.

A/Prof. Fillipa Martins also introduced many other innovative projects in the field of cultural preservation in Macau, where new technologies help preserve and develop the city’s tangible and intangible heritage. These projects go beyond using technology to restore classical works of art as well as serve as a means to connect stories and cultural traditions of the past with younger generations, raising awareness of the value of local culture in the context of globalization.

Figure 7. Prof. Fillipa Martins – Saint Joseph University, Macaupresenting outstanding projects from Macau in preserving culture

Co-creating and developing a sustainable ArtTech community in Italy

  1. Prof. Andrea Giansanti, from the Pantheon Institute of Design & Technology in Italy, is one of the pioneers in applying emerging technologies to art projects while building and developing a sustainable ArtTech community. He emphasized that technology, especially virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), is beyond a tool to support art; in fact, this is a means to enrich and expand creativity in traditional art, especially in creating new, engaging and more accessible experiences for the public.

In his talk, Prof. Giansanti presented two outstanding projects that he has implemented to demonstrate the potential of technology in enriching traditional art. The “Inside Painters: Van Gogh” project uses VR technology to recreate Van Gogh’s artistic space, allowing participants to step into the world of famous works listed as The Starry Night or The Wheat Field through virtual reality experiences. This not only helps the public get closer to the great works of art but also creates opportunities to feel more deeply the context and emotions that the artists aim to convey.

Figure 8. Prof. Andrea Giansanti, from the Pantheon Institute of Design & Technology in Italy, sharing his projects to develop the ArtTech community in Italy

Similarly, the “AR Red Riding Hood” project uses AR technology to create interactive versions of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Instead of reading or listening to the story, participants can “immerse” themselves in the plot and interact with the characters in the story, not only receiving but also directly participating in the storytelling process. These projects are not only innovative in combining technology with art but also an important step in making art an indispensable part of digital life, where technology plays a connecting role, enriching experiences and creating new learning opportunities for users.

What Prof. Giansanti emphasizes in his research and projects is that combining technology with art is not to replace traditional values, rather, it is to enrich existing art forms. In fact, technology brings new experiences and helps raise artistic awareness by creating new ways of education and inspiring creativity.

Finally, through his contributions, Prof. Andrea Giansanti affirms that digital innovation in art is an important part of building a sustainable creative community. Thanks to the development of technologies listed as VR, AR, and other interactive technologies, art has developed in terms of form and become a powerful tool in raising public awareness of sustainability issues.

Based on that, the ArtTech community in Italy can contribute to building a more sustainable future, where art, technology and community blend together to solve social and environmental challenges while maintaining and promoting traditional cultural values.

With the contributions of experts and creative projects at ATF 2024, we can clearly see that to build a sustainable community, it is necessary to closely combine professions, constant creativity and responsibility for the future. Art, through technology, is not only a means of creative expression but also a source of inspiration, a tool to change perceptions and promote community action. From these innovations, it is hoped that more initiatives will be developed, contributing to building a sustainable, fair and culturally valuable world for future generations.

ATF24 – A platform to help shape the future for the young creative generation towards sustainability

In line with the development trend of the ArtTech field, the international series ArtTech Fusion (ATF) is organized annually by ArtTech Hub (ATH) under the UEH College of Technology and Design (CTD), University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) and coordinates with domestic and foreign units with different themes each year.

2024 is the third time the international series ArtTech Fusion is organized with the theme “New ArtTech for Future Generations” to arouse and to promote creative thinking and innovative actions of the future generation to build a sustainable society.

Throughout the 3-day ATF24 journey (October 22-24, 2024), there were more than 30 academic and practical activities including 05 keynote speeches, 10 special sessions, 05 parallel sessions, 05 workshops, 01 book chapter, 09 exhibitions, 01 heritage connection trip, 01 tangible performance.

Author: Ms. Tran Le Quynh Anh, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Khanh Doan – University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

This article is part of the series spreading research and applied knowledge from UEH with the message “Research Contribution For All”. UEH cordially invites readers to read the next UEH Research Insights newsletter.

News, photos: The Authors, UEH Department of Communications and Partnerships