The international initiative ICT Meets the Arts - Event Thessaloniki took place on 24 and 25 of February 2021, to bring together the community of arts and technologies. This online event organised by the Business and Cultural Development Centre (KEPA), succeeded in providing a space for sharing thoughts, ideas, projects but also in exploring trends and new ways to synergize Arts and Creativity with ICT.
Dr Vangelis Lympouridis (Viterbi School of Engineering at USC & Founder of ENOSIS) offered some insights, trends and thoughts towards enabling future realities in creative industries.
The intervention by Silvia Draghi (Policy Officer at DG GROW of EC) focused on the main objectives of the New Industrial Strategy for Europe and on how we can support businesses in the transition towards a green economy, through cross-innovation and by tightening collaboration between creatives and technology providers.
Two Senior Researchers in the Information Technologies Institute (ITI) of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Dr Eleftheria Maria Pechlivani and Dr Dimosthenis Ioannidis, presented an overview of digital technologies for Cultural Heritage & Arts, such as 3D Printing, Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Dani Joss (Tech Manager of Die Wolke Art Group) provided to the audience an experience of using sensor technology in contemporary performance and audiovisual art, by approaching the subject from multiple points of view, concentrating on functionality, aesthetics, experimentalism, or conceptualisation.
Finally, Stela Anastasaki (Curator – Cultural Manager) shared with us “Mind’s Eye”, a pilot project for the inclusion of people with visual impairment in the experience of art, which was developed in the framework of START- Create Cultural Change program during 2020 and was launched for the first time at the premises and the collection of MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art, in collaboration with the Center for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind – Thessaloniki’s Branch.
These inspiring presentations were followed by one-to-one meetings between professionals in the fields of arts/CCIs and ICT, to get to know each other and discuss common grounds of cooperation.
‘ICT meets the Arts Thessaloniki’ event with 6 wonderful speakers, 226 participants, 118 B2B meetings, organised for the first time in Greece by KEPA, came to inspire new ideas, innovation and creativity.
