UNIVERSEH: a week of creative research on sustainable space exploration

On the esplanade of the Euro Space Center (Libin), some fifteen PhD students are busy working around photovoltaic panels. Taking advantage of a ray of sunshine, a solar-powered labeller prints a label bearing the inscription "This message is solar powered". Further on, a group manages to get a small radio working, broadcasting a well-known tune to the smiles of the participants.

Marie Verdeil, a French designer and artist based in Brussels leads this activity with Guillaume Slizewicz, designer and digital artist: "With this workshop, the idea is to understand in a tangible way how energy works. By powering objects with solar panels ourselves, we become more aware of our everyday energy consumption and the limits of renewable energies. The aim is really to give materiality to things we might not necessarily think of when plugging in a device. It's a kind of return to reality and, with solar panels, to the rhythm of nature."

Like Marie Verdeil, several artists have joined the project, which brings together science and art, disciplines that are sometimes compartmentalized.

"With this initiative, we're trying to break down the barriers that exist between the sciences and the arts, which are ultimately very cultural, and bring together people who don't usually cross paths to see what ideas can emerge", explains Orion Van Helden, PhD student in UNamur's Department of Science, Philosophy and Society and creative facilitator."An immersive week like this helps to generate creative stimuli over a short period that are beneficial to research. It's also an opportunity to experiment with community work and inclusivity", continues the researcher.

Creativity that doesn't always come naturally. For Julie Henry, "many people think of themselves as non-creative, but creativity is a skill that develops. Here, we observe a kind of emulsion that makes participants less afraid to give ideas and try innovative things. This is something you don't necessarily have time to do in your thesis, because you have to finish it within a given timeframe."

The theme of the week invited reflection on the links between astronomy and sustainable development. Participants were free to explore this theme from the perspective of their choice. Among the avenues suggested was the solarpunk aesthetic, which, in contrast to the dominant dystopian narratives and technophile visions, imagines a resilient and hopeful future. This current envisages an alliance between science and art, around simple technologies (low-tech) and a profound reconnection with nature.

A theme that opens the way to reflections on contemporary technological, societal and philosophical challenges. "We need places to rethink creativity and the impact of technology. This type of project makes it possible to mix science and art in different ways and to question maker culture, low-tech, Do It Yourself or space while remaining connected to societal issues, which are also at the heart of research. The idea is to work on what's happening now and what's going to happen tomorrow", stresses Charlotte Benedetti, director of Le Pavillon (KIKK asbl), an exhibition space dedicated to experimentation and innovation that explores the intersections between art, science and technology.

Beyond interdisciplinarity and creativity, the week fostered exchanges and collaboration. Anouk Wies, strategic advisor for cultural affairs at the University of Luxembourg and co-organizer of SciArts Lab Week, emphasizes this aspect: "The UNIVERSEH alliance is very broad, stretching from Scandinavia to Italy. With this creative week, we see participants coming from a variety of territories, and that's what we want to do: bring people together around the table and bring together profiles from different countries and baggage, valuing human interaction. In a confined environment, such as a space station, intercultural communication can be very useful. Julie and I agreed that we wanted to achieve a good balance and encourage women to take part, despite the fact that they are still under-represented in the STE(A)M sector.

This initiative is part of the approach of the University of Luxembourg's cultural affairs unit to drive and support Arts-Sciences projects, notably through an artist residency in a university environment, in partnership with Casino-Forum d'art contemporain, a series of discussions between cultural players and researchers around transdisciplinarity and its societal contribution, and to contribute to exchanges with other international initiatives and networks engaged in the field.