Symbiosis (application)

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I'm part of a Färgfabriken application for funds

Besides the Communication application I submitted to Formas earlier this week, I'm also part of another application, "Symbiosis", that was submitted (same call) by Anders Bergmark from the art exhibition space Färgfabriken.

If this application is approved, I will be involved in a variety of activities around the planned exhibition "Symbiosis" during the coming three years (e.g. "Symbiosis summits" and "Symbiosis talks" etc.). The Symbiosis exhibition is planned to have four themes with different evocative titles: "Hinterlands", "Planetary Enterprise", "Re/Designing Ecology" and "Becoming Human". Homo Colossus has been invited to be part of the Symbiosis exhibition and that's also the main reason why I am part of this application.

I'm however just one of many participating researchers in the application and this application is only one of several things that is emanating from me pitching our "Homo Colossus" project at Färgfabriken at the end of October last year. The other participants/researchers who are part of the application are:

• Anna Björklund, KTH, Associate professor Environmental Strategic Analysis
• Nina Bozic, RISE, senior researcher innovation management & the future of work
• Andreas Gedin, Associate Professor/Docent, Valand,Göteborgs universitet.
• Janna Holmstedt, KTH, PostHumanities Hub
• Mattias Höjer, KTH, Professor, Environmental strategies and Futures studies
• Katarina Larsen, KTH, forskare och lärare. Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment David Nilsson, Director KTH Water Centre
• Daniel Pargman, KTH, Associate Professor, Media Technology and Interaction Design
• Karl-Henrik Robèrt, BTH, Professor strategisk hållbar utveckling
• Giles Thomson, BTH, Department of Strategic Sustainable Development
• Elsa Vaara, RISE, UX- & designforskare PhD
• Josefin Wangel, SLU Director CEMUS - Center for Environment and Development Studies
• Cecilia Åsberg, KTH Guest Professor of Science and Technology Studies with focus on Gender and Environment

Note: it was Mattias Höjer (above) who connected me and Färgfabriken in the beginning of October (only four months ago!),

Here's the summary of the project:

The term "symbiosis" summarizes how powerful trends and changes such as urbanization, climate change, digitization, migration, food supply, populism and globalization are intertwined and create new conditions for the future of our planet. We are all affected by this, from individuals, companies to large organizations and nations. The challenges are often discussed individually in an alarmistic fashion, not least in mass media and on social media. This creates fragmentation and leads to concerns and uncertainty about our common future.

At the same time, world-leading research in Sweden is initiated and many new constructive ideas on how the challenges can be adressed are taking shape. But the research is often specialized and doesn’t reach out to other disciplines, to decision makers or the general public. We believe that a symbiotic perspective is a way to increase cross-border cooperation for a sustainable future. In order to create opportunities for ”symbiotic thinking” and new types of knowledge to emerge we need new forums for meetings and knowledge exchange across fields and outside the academic system's discipline structure.

The aim of the project is to create new opportunities for our transition to sustainability through a close collaboration between research, art and culture and a symbiotic approach. It is achieved through a series of communication activities that create links between areas of knowledge (Symbiosis summits) and other target groups (Symbiosis Talks). The insights that arise will also be condensed into core messages and thought-provoking illustrations for further dissemination of methods and "best practices", be condensed into a "manifesto" and finally a "toolbox" for symbiotic thinking and method work. The concept is based on Färgfabriken's know-how and 25-year experience of conceptualizing complex content in an engaging and exciting way based on broad sector-wide collaborations. Processes and results are communicated on an ongoing basis to a general public in Färgfabriken’s channels, as well as via the participating researchers' communication channels.

This means that Sweden's world-leading research reaches far outside the academic community. A powerful approach to create conditions for new insights and opportunities, to communicate the need for interdisciplinary knowledge and to popularize and use research results, contributing to reducing anxiety and promote faith in our future.