The framing couldn´t have been better; Vinterviken in autumn colors and Alfred Nobel´s old Dynamite factory which symbolizes resourcefulness, cultural value and international fellowship. Unfolding Value was inaugurated by Madeleine Sjöstedt, Vice Mayor of the City of Stockholm. ”In the meeting between natural science, culture and art, fantastic opportunities are created, ” she said, expecting the seminar in the Dynamite factory to be an “explosive experience”
Keynote speaker was James L. Edwards, Executive Director of Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) at National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. EOL is, to say the least, an ambitious web project aiming at giving all species their own page on the EOL web.
“Unfolding Value is an example of an event that should be repeated. I have learnt a lot during this day, and I really appreciated also having the high school pupils and architecture students here. It was very exciting to listen to the presentations about Biomimetics; it is a new cross-disciplinary field that is on the edge of really taking off,” said James L. Edwards.
Other internet based species databanks were presented; Royal Botanic Garden´s KEW-web site, the Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken), and ditto Norwegian, FishBase and AskNature.org. All of them are important tools in protecting biodiversity, in research and planning, as well as cultural and nature preservation. With support from the moderator, science journalist Eva Krutmeijer, the Internet accustomed pupils in the audience were given an opportunity to share their views of the future use of these sites. ”There are so many similar initiatives, why not merge hem to one site,” suggested one of the high school pupils. “The sites need to become much cooler for me to use them,” said another.
James L. Edwards promised that he would take home the insight that the Encyclopedia of Life should be responsive to the users´ needs, and not only to what the researchers believes the users need to know.
By estimate, 61 000 animal and plant species exists just in Sweden. ArtDatabanken at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), is on behalf of the Swedish government mapping all species in Sweden. One big and important part of the work is to spread the information about the species and how they live to the public. Among other things the knowledge is published in a series of identification handbooks with keys to the species – “The Encyclopedia of the Swedish Flora and Fauna”. A lot of work is put on producing top quality illustrations, told Johan Bodegård, Director of ArtDatabanken.
“This is the largest book project ever in Sweden”, he stated, and showed some examples of pictures they have produced. He continued: “We have just started to work on how to present the species on the Internet, and the young people´s input are important. What do you want to see, and what do you want to do with the species knowledge? Moving pictures, interactive functions, or illustration of how the species can be used in industrial development – there are unlimited possibilities!”
The initiative AskNature.org was appreciated by the young people and also by the entrepreneurs, designers and product developers in the audience. Christopher Allen, project manager for the portal at the Biomimicry Institute in Montana, USA told that AskNature.org will be launched in November 2008. AskNature.org is the basis of the Biomimicry Institute’s partnership with EOL, and it is initially funded by Autodesk, world leading software developer within design and construction.
” It will be the premier place on the web for designers, biologists, and business people to find biomimicry-based design solutions and develop opportunities for collaboration and “distributed innovation, ” says Christopher Allen, who defines biomimicry as “the practice of developing sustainable technologies inspired by ideas from nature”
”Autodesk´s R&D department are convinced that biology will be among the largest driving forces for designers during the 21st century,“ he says.
Biomimetic research and design
Biomimetics is the most common term in Sweden for the cross-disciplinary research area that with inspiration from nature´s brilliant design aims at creating new materials and products. Some exciting examples of Swedish biomimetic research were presented at Unfolding Value. First on the stage was Professor Tuula Teeri, prorector with responsibility for research at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, as wells as Director of Swedish Center of Biomimetic Fiber Engineering (Biomime). She told the audience that more knowledge about how cellulose is formed can for example lead to new environmental cellulose based composite materials with completely new properties. Moreover, collaboration with designers is important to the researchers at Biomime, she pointed out.
”They can give our research a form, and thus be a link from Biomime to the industry,” says Tuula Teeri.
Professor Tom Ziemke is Director of the Cognition & Interaction Lab at the University of Skövde, where they develop biomimetic robots. In one of the projects they have studied the behavior of rats to produce a rat-like robot, among other things they have studied how the rats uses their whiskers.
”We use animals as inspiration to develop information technology. To be able to do that interdisciplinary research is necessary, “ he says.
Even a yellyfish can contribute with useful knowledge. Shabira Abbas, senior researcher at SCA, has studied the jellyfishes´water holding capacity to be able to design new environmental super molecular models for future absorbing materials in diapers. An architect student from London Metropolitan School of Architecture participating in a course about ”Adaptive Production Ecologies”, asked her if the jellyfishes´ water holding capacity also could be applied on building materials.
”Yes, why not mix these materials with Biomime´s cellulose fibers for example, to get water holding materials,” Shabira Abbas answered.
Professor Teo Enlund from University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Konstfack, presented two master thesises which gave the audience further examples of how nature, design and science can collaborate; sailing shoes with adhesiveness like a gecko, and an automatic pool cleaner inspired by a Sea Beast.
Demand for interdisciplinary meetings
The questions asked by the pupils showed clearly that there is a demand for interdisciplinary meetings and platforms where different groups of the society can meet and exchange knowledge.
”Why didn´t we get a chance to meet researchers, designers and companies that are working with new environmental materials and products before?” wondered Ana Strizak, student at Norra Real Gymnasium natural science program. She participated in Unfolding Value with her classmates, classes from Rönninge Gymnasium in Salem and Österlen Gymnasium in Simrishamn. Ana Strizak advertized for more interdisciplinary university educations, where science and art are combined. Tuula Teeri answered.
”Biomimetics is a new research and development area, and it take some time for the society and the education system to adjust to new trends.”
Inspiration and good ideas about collaboration cross the borders continued to flow at the dinner and mingle at the Dynamite factory restaurant after the seminar.
The ideas will be taken good care of by Mats Brodén, who has already started to plan next Unfolding Value 2009. He believes it is important to see this first seminar as a starting point.
“ I see animals and plants as reservoirs of knowledge. With this event we open up gates to this knowledge and creates interfaces between different disciplines, ” says Mats Brodén.
Everything is about storytelling, he argues, whether texts, animations, computer games or prototype design. Even plants and animals can be seen as objects that triggers a story. Having access to knowledge is not enough. Furthermore, we need the ability to imagine things and to become more visionary. For example, using knowledge about animals or plant sensors can open op new worlds in the experience industry. Another good example is the music played during the break; The Stress Call of the Stinging Nettle, by the Swedish artist Christine Ödlund, where the chemical signals a nettle had been transposed into music.
- Next years Unfolding Value will be more about showing innovation prototypes inspired by nature in collaboration with researchers, designers, architects, entrepreneurs and companies. We also consider arranging a high school competion about best innovation inspired by nature, says,” says Mats Brodén and refers to www.unfoldingvalue.com for further communication about the plans.
James L. Edwards believes that an Unfolding Value sequel focusing more on biomimetics and applications in new materials and products could be a good idea. He gave the organizer the tip to also include Ethnobotany– a cross-disciplinary field which studies how humans use plants in different cultures, for example for medical purposes.
Christopher Allen would like to return to Sweden and his newly found network.
”Unfolding Value is a really good concept and I think there is a lot to win by developing it further”, he says.
Bo Andér, Director of Culture and Integration Support at The City of Stockholm, is very satisfied with the event at Nobels´s Dynamite Factory.
“ It is very important to us to give the Dynamite Factory a new life. Slowly, we are starting to realize the enormous value of the Nobel brand. The City would like to continue to use the brand, and we see a great potential in using the Dynamite Factory for this kind of interdisciplinary work and events where art and science meet. Unfolding Value is a good and evolvable concept.”
Written by freelance journalist Susanne Rosén
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Unfolding Value
- Concept och production: The Material Point, Mats Brodén
- Partners: The City of Stockholm, EOL och SLU-ArtDatabanken
- Collaboration with: Biomime, SCA, Konstfack/University College of Arts Crafts and Design, The University of Skövde, Younoodle, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet/The Swedish Museum of Natural History, The Global Biodiversity Information Facility/GBIF Sweden and FishBase.
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