Hungry EcoCities
Hungry EcoCities aims at exploring one of the most pressing challenges of our times: the need for a more healthy, sustainable, responsible, and affordable agri-food system for all.
Hungry EcoCities puts forward a high-level alliance between science, technology, and the arts, to effectively explore how digital technologies & applications can lead in turn to reduced food waste, more sustainable value chains, eco-friendly attitudes, and more ethical food consumption. How can we develop ways of creating a more healthy, sustainable, and affordable agri-food system for all?
Details
About
The project revolves around the igniting question:
“How can increased awareness and technological tools impact a future where we use resources responsibly to produce and consume food?”
Building a better future for our food systems requires a combination of cutting-edge technology and a deep commitment to ethics and sustainability. By harnessing the power of collaboration for responsible and sustainable food systems, we have the opportunity to build a future that is not only environmentally regenerative, but also equitable and ethical in its approach to our planet’s resources and energy. Based on three vision from our studio partners and through art-driven experiments leading the way, supported by a technology toolbox and enabled by AI, this project will create futures for food systems that are responsible, regenerative, and nourishing for all.
Our role
In4Art is the technical coordinator and art-driven innovation expert in this project. We have been involved in the proposal stage and invited the partners to collaborate with us. Our ambition in this project is to guide the experiments towards responsible innovative outcomes and artistic outcomes. The experiments in HEC will give us future opportunities, which we will analyse through our spill over PESETABS impact analysis.
Project documents
Leaflet
3 Directions booklet
COLLABORATORS
● Artist/s
Helena Nikonole / Jeroen van der Most / Ivan Henriques / Bernat Cuní Soler / IM-A Studio / The Center for Genomic Gastronomy / Frederik De Wilde / Yiannis Kranidiotis / Nonhuman Nonsense
● Agri / food SME(S)
Axia Seeds / Beesage / Capanna Prosciutti / Instagreen / La Terre di Zoè / Logiqs / Protiberia / Sensesbit / Sprout Dynamics / Staramaki
● Partners
The Hungry Ecocities Consortium is led by Brno University of Technology (CZ) and In4Art (NL) and counts on the participation of: KU Leuven (BE) / Carlo Ratti Associati (IT) / Studio Other Spaces (GE) / Mendel University (CZ) / Eatthis (NL) / FundingBox (PL).
Humanizing Technology Experiments
In the first stage of the project, nine residency experiments merged technology and art in collaboration with the Hungry EcoCities technological research team to create digital prototypes, AI-driven art components, and artistic works. Each experiment aligned with one or more of the three designated directions for exploration: Mega Scale, Local Conditions, and City+Farming Synergies. The outcomes of this stage are available on HECLAB.EU, an open-source platform open for testing during the project’s second stage and beyond.
Paths to Progress Experiments
In the second stage of the project, 10 duos will be selected, each consisting of an industrial end-user / SME from the agri-food sector and an artist. Together, they will develop prototypes for AI-enabled applications tailored to specific use cases, while also creating artistic outputs to raise awareness about the topic.
Duration
Sept. 2022 – Feb. 2026
Investment
€2.796.781
Credits
The Hungry EcoCities project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement 101069990. It is part of the S+T+ARTS programme.
