How can the sound of crickets and plants be transformed into music? Why are we so eager to leave our planet? What is the key factor for the success of all NASA missions? Take a look at some moments from the second day of the conference.
The themes were much more connected to Earth, even though they touched on space. The second day of the conference opened with two sessions once again. The morning session was filled with thoughts on deep explorations and the ecosystems of wanderers. Bartosz Frąckowiak gave the introduction once more.
Saša Spačal led us on a journey into the depths of moist, fertile soil. Her artistic efforts take root, and you can listen to them. In her lecture, she demonstrated the full spectrum of interconnectedness—the symbiosis between soil bacteria, fungi, or crickets, where time flows differently in each case. Saša collects data from nature and transforms it into musical compositions. Her artworks witness rituals of the mind, embodied research, and artistic practice, acting as bridges between various forms of life and matter.
- “I try to live more and more slowly.”
- “I don’t want to live in the future; I want to live in the present.”
Seetal Solanki captivated the audience, as evidenced by the feedback and number of questions. She studies materials and collects data on their origins and how they migrate across Earth, as documented in her book Why Materials Matter. Those intrigued by her lecture sought more information on the Material Atlas website. During her talk, it was noted that over 160 000 materials are produced worldwide. Emphasis was placed on how humanity should take better care of materials, recycle them skillfully, and integrate this approach more and more into sustainable projects.
- “Every material has its own time and space. I want to focus most on the human one.”
- “Plastics aren’t the problem. The problem is how we handle them. We can’t demonize them; instead, we must change our behavior toward them.”
- “Observation and listening—those are methods of understanding.”
Georgina Voss spoke about time, its perception, and different concepts of it. She explained the concept of the “bottle episode,” which loosely refers to how, in visual media like film and television, certain stories can be contained within a specific space—like a room or building—allowing time to ‘freeze’ for that particular episode or chapter, while the rest of the world outside continues.
- “Speed is exciting but overwhelming.”
The afternoon session seemingly took us further from Earth. We ventured into the heights of space and questioned why, as humanity, we are so eager to leave our natural home.
The first to present their projects in this session were Marek Cimbálník and Jan Netušil from OFICINA studio. They collaborated with scientists, first needing to understand the scientific topic they wanted to share with the public. Then they designed a solution that retained its essence while being comprehensible even to a child, both on a formal (graphic design) and conceptual level (game model, hardware, haptic elements, etc.).
Xin Liu, of Chinese descent, opened with the question: why are we so eager to leave our planet? Her projects are full of challenges and exploration. She studies celestial bodies that, after being withdrawn from the starry sky, land in remote regions, not just in China. She also works with the materials from which these bodies are made. Her works are exhibited in prestigious museums.
- “We don’t have to stick with the educational decisions we made at 18. We can change our careers throughout life.”
- “We should always nurture our curiosity.”
- “We pretend we have all the answers.”
Ariane Koek, internationally recognized for initiating the Arts at CERN program, compared art, curiosity, and science in her lecture. She reminded us that in the past, people practiced alchemy, the precursor to physics and chemistry, through which they explored the world around them. According to her, technology should always be integrated into nature, as it originates from it.
- “We should go beyond the horizon, connect, and serve as a portal to historical wisdom and further knowledge.”
- “Knowledge is limited.”
The star of the conference and the keynote speaker was Michaela Musilová. Her captivating story about how a girl from Slovakia fulfilled her dream of becoming an astronaut enthralled the audience. Thanks to her diligence and determination, she made it into NASA’s space program, and she now leads simulated Mars missions. While she hasn’t (yet) flown into space herself, her dream is slowly coming true.
- “If we didn’t work together as a team, the entire mission would fail.”
We thank all partners, collaborators, and guests of the conference and look forward to future editions filled with the most creative minds from all over the world. This year was definitely worth it!