VAST project partner National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) organised a Symposium on 25 October 2022 to present research results from the International Theatre Conference (realised in November 2021) on the past and the present of values in Ancient Greek Drama.

Emeritus Professor Theodoros Grammatas, NKUA welcomed the audience and referred to the past and present of values conveyed in Ancient Greek Drama and how the values are communicated and perceived through theater.

Dr. Georgios Petasis, VAST project coordinator, continued with a presentation of the project’s vision, objectives and research results which included the digital tools developed (VAST Platform).

Thereafter, NKUA’s research team representatives showcased the methodology of ancient Greek Drama text analysis and its digitisation in the VAST’s platform, the survey’s results of the online projected theatrical performance of “Seven Against Thebes” Aeschylus, directed by Cezaris Grauzinis (2017) as well as the proceedings of last year’s International Conference Values of Ancient Greek Theatre Across Space and Time: Cultural Heritage and Memory.

The proceedings of the International Theatre Conference «Values of Ancient Greek Theatre Across Space and Time: Cultural Heritage and Memory are available in the link: International Conference Proceedings.

VAST Partner Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy, realised on 13 October 2022 the educational activity: Bacon and Kepler – Travelling in Science between reality and imagination.

Addressing high school students in Italy, the activity examined the works of the “travelers in Science” of the past and discusses the values included in the idea of “journey,” “discovery” and “dialogue” with others.  Students were motivated to work in groups and create value maps reflecting on current challenges in the society they live in.

For more info about Museo Galileo’s planned educational activities, visit the link: Museo Galileo Educational Activities.

In early October, VAST participated in a European Bootcamp on the inclusion of marginalized youth in educational projects. The activity was organised by the Green European Foundation (GEF) in collaboration with the Green Institute Greece and the Bosch Alumni Network and took place in the Municipal Market of Kypseli in Athens, Greece. The initiative hosted 15 educators from various European countries and offered them the chance to exchange experiences and discuss methodologies and tools which could facilitate the inclusion of socially vulnerable adults in educational projects.

Dr. Dora Katsamori, postdoc researcher at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications of coordinator NCSR Demokritos presented the VAST project’s scope, its methodologies as well as the tools and services available for educators through the VAST Digital Platform. The presentation also included the findings of VAST’s pilot case study on a group of socially vulnerable adults.

A few words about the Bootcamp

The three-day bootcamp on The inclusion of marginalised youth in educational projects was organised by the Green European Foundation (GEF) in collaboration with the Green Institute Greece and the Bosch Alumni Network, and took place between 30 September and 2 October 2022 at the Kypseli Municipal Market in Athens, Greece

VAST partner Museo Galileo (IMSS) is scheduling a series of co-creation activities, addressed to students in Italy, aiming to trace the transformation of values found in 17th-century documents over the centuries and to evaluate the Museum’s role in the perception and interpretation of values. In October 2022, Museo Galileo started implementing the following activities with schools:

Fantastic creatures in unknown lands

This activity starts with descriptions of unknown or imaginary populations, and by observing sea monsters and fantastic animals, children are guided to the discovery of the creatures hidden in the cartographic representations. Talking about the difficulties and challenges of travelers in the past while discovering new worlds and interpreting new social and natural realities will open a dialogue regarding the value of tolerance among different living beings and its importance in everyday life.

More about the activity on Museum Galileo’s website: https://www.museogalileo.it/it/museo/impara/il-museo-per-la-scuola/2329-creature-fantastiche-in-terre-sconosciute.html

From Telescope to Microscope: useful and entertaining Science

The activity aims to display the link between the “infinitely large world” and the “infinitely small world” revealed by Galileo’s telescope and the compound microscope that followed. Through this activity, children will understand the evolution of the microscope and the importance of those discoveries for today’s science.

More about the activity on Museum Galileo’s website: https://www.museogalileo.it/it/museo/impara/il-museo-per-la-scuola/2331-dal-telescopio-al-microscopio-la-scienza-utile-e-d-intrattenimento.html

Geographical discoveries, astronomical achievements, and the new representation of the world

The activity aims to raise awareness regarding the evolution of terrestrial cartographic representation focusing on the geographical and astronomical discoveries that changed the image of the world.  Special attention will be paid to astronomical and nautical instruments used during ocean travels and the new celestial word that was revealed by Galileo’s telescope.

More about the activity on Museum Galileo’s website: https://www.museogalileo.it/it/museo/impara/il-museo-per-la-scuola/2330-scoperte-geografiche-conquiste-astronomiche-e-la-nuova-rappresentazione-del-mondo.html

Galileo, Bacon and Kepler: “Travelling in Science” between reality and imagination

Galileo’s telescope brought people’s perception nearer to the vast celestial image, narrowing the gap with those who believed that celestial space had nothing more to reveal. Galileo’s virtual travel became a reality. The activity aims to motivate students to reflect on the value of collaboration and knowledge sharing, starting with those characters who were among the most important protagonists of the period of the scientific revolution.

More about the activity on Museum Galileo’s website: https://www.museogalileo.it/it/museo/impara/il-museo-per-la-scuola/2332-galileo-bacone-e-keplero-viaggio-nella-scienza-tra-realta-e-immaginazione.html

The VAST Project was among the 30 stakeholders that participated in the first Polifonia Hybrid Stakeholder Network Workshop which was held in hybrid mode at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France on 20 September 2022.

Konstantina Giouvanopoulou, of coordinator NCSR Demokritos, represented the VAST Project during the roundtable session “Computational Musicology and Knowledge Graphs (tunes, tonalities, facets, interlink, organs) where she briefly explained the project’s scope and initiatives as well as the progress and the outcomes that have been taking place so far.
During ontology-clinics, VAST connected with Polifonia stakeholders on the moral aspects and values conveyed in texts (a research area of VAST) and how these can be portrayed in music (Polifonia’s research area).

The meeting’s goal was to establish a clear mapping between the project’s first outcomes and the stakeholders’ goals and interests. At the same time, stakeholders had the opportunity to extend their network of contacts and provide insights into their projects and expertise.