Artsformation, one of the sister projects to the CreaTures projects, is concerned with understanding and improving pathways through which the arts can be a powerful voice and agent in the digital transformation, through the development of knowledge, toolsets and participative experiments. As part of the project, we are interested in the potential participative and empowering role the arts may play for the socially disadvantaged.

In his talk, Christian Fieseler discussed some of the project’s initial work with socially engaged artists and initiatives in Europe, who use diverse artistic methods to explore, investigate and understand the digital transformation as a driver of our future as society. Despite the often ephemeral nature of socially engaged arts, they foresee an interesting new stream of more ‘organised’ artists working with projects that have designed to have more lasting impact over time – a form of ‘social artrepreneurship’. This seminar was an opportunity to share our initial observations and to learn from each other’s perspectives!

CreaTures project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870759. The content presented represents the views of the authors, and the European Commission has no liability in respect of the content.