EcoConjunctions is an innovative project that explores the dynamic relationships between contemporary arts, natural sciences, sustainability and civil society from an ecocritical perspective. Its interdisciplinary approach draws on art history, sociology of art and civil society studies. Through selected case studies from Finland, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan, we aim both to contribute and to decolonise the growing recognition that contemporary arts can translate scientific knowledge, participate in sustainability research (Trott et al 2020, Heras et al 2021), inspire societal change (Paterson et al) and influence international law and policy making (Entwisle Chapuisat 2024).

The main objectives include:

• tracing local and transcultural genealogies of art-science collaborations

• identifying their strategies for translating, producing and contributing to scientific knowledge

• critically analysing the possible societal impacts

• to formulate non-Euro-American-centric frameworks

With national and international collaborators from the arts, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, the project aims to offer new perspectives for transnational research. This four-year group project is generously funded by the Research Council of Finland through its Academy Project 2024 call. The team members will be announced at a later date.

Collaborators

• Professor Timo Vesala, the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at University of Helsinki and Curator Ulla Taipale, Periferia Art Exhibition at Hyytiälä Forest Station

• Paula Toppila, IHME Helsinki

• Cemeti Institute for Art and Society, Yogyakarta

• Lifepatch, Yogyakarta

• Professor Yoshitaka Mōri, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo

• Professor T. J. Demos, the Center for Creative Ecologies in University of California, Santa Cruz

• Dr Kiu-wai Chu, Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore

• PD Dr Bianca Vienni-Baptista, the Cultural Studies of Science group at ETH Zürich

Research questions

Building on the dynamic theory of civil society (Klein and Lee 2019), on the model of knowledge generation by art-science-technology initiatives with a reciprocal interrelation with society (Paterson et al 2020), and the shifting roles of arts in relation to civil society formation by the PI (Valjakka 2021b, 2023), we will critically analyze the fluid positionalities of art-science collaborations.

• How have local perceptions of ‘arts’ and ‘sciences’ merged and interacted, and how have these trajectories been reformed by transnational influences (e.g. colonialism, international knowledge exchange, transcultural networks)?

• What are the forms of agency, networks, strategies, and methods of contemporary collaborations between arts and natural science? How do they relate to notions of ecology, environment, nature, or sustainability?

• What are the structural forces and patterns that strengthen or hinder these collaborations (e.g. governmental or institutional support, cultural policies, art market)?

• What kinds of knowledge generation, engagement and environmental behaviour change do these collaborations produce and how? Can they contribute to the formation of ecological citizenship, sustainability science, policy making or international law?

• Can art-science collaborations reinforce the aspirations of a more ecologically sustainable and inclusive future, and if so, how? Do they advance any of the goals included in the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development?