MSC researchers part of large EU project about arts and digital transformation

Associate Professor Ana Alacovska and Post Doc Kirsti Reitan Andersen, both from MSC, are part of an international and cross-disciplinary consortium that in April 2020 received a large grant under the European Union program Horizon 2020 for the project Mobilising the Arts for an Inclusive Digital Transformation (Artsformation).

Thirty years ago, the internet, social media, and smartphones had not been invented. Yet a generation later, almost every facet of our individual, public, and online life are dominated by the digital transformation. However, the digital literacies and capabilities necessary for citizens to thrive in a digital society and act as responsible and effective participants, are unequally distributed across the European cultural, economic, and social strata, with the public sphere consequently rapidly dissolving.

Working with leading digital artists and tech theorists affiliated with Transmediale, Berlin, WAAG in Amsterdam, FACT in Liverpool as well as academic collaborators from Trinity Colleague Dublin and BI, Norwegian Business School, Alacovska and Andersen will explore the intersection between arts, society and technology. Drawing on arts-based methods, Artsformation investigates the potential of the arts to intervene in critical social, business and economic issues, with a view to addressing a range of abusive and exploitative aspects of digital technologies, such as labour politics, privacy, surveillance and digital literacy.

Amongst other activities, the consortium will conduct a series of qualitative interviews across Europe, run experimental workshops with key stakeholders and develop and host the ARTSFORMERS Arts Residency program including a number of exhibitions.

The Artsformation project is made possible by a 3 million euros grant awarded by the European Union under the auspices of the Horizon 2020 Program. The project, which is led by BI Norwegian Business School, runs for 3 years. The Artsformation website and SoMe launched on October 8th, 2020: https://artsformation.eu/

For further information, please contact Ana Alacovska, aa.msc@cbs.dk, or Kirsti Reitan Andersen, kra.msc@cbs.dk.