Author: Elena Galifianaki

Partner NOVA supports the Digital Literature Installation “MOIRA”

Published: 16 August 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: Dissemination, News & Events

The legend of the Enchanted Moira, which is part of the Portuguese intangible cultural heritage, was revisited on the mixed media Digital Literature Installation “MOIRA” by wr3ad1ng d1g1t5 Collective, and was displayed between 23 July and 15 August 2022 at Saint Rocco’s Church, in Tavira (south Portugal).

Dr. Diogo Marques, researcher at partner NOVA University, was one of the artists and curators of the installation. The artwork’s textual component was based on the recorded re-telling of these folktales by female Portuguese embroiderers.

Presenting recent research resulting from the fieldwork recently carried out in the region of Tavira, the installation opens a dialogue with the emerging poetic work while, on the other hand, invites the audience to superimpose its own voice of the records’ (re)interpretation.  As such, this work is expected to have substantial implications for the development of future research at the intersection of folk tales, new media arts, and digital heritage.

 

A few words about the wr3ad1ng d1g1t5 collective:

In the wake of an experimentalist tradition, initiated with the Portuguese Experimental Poetry (PO-EX) movement at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, wr3ad1ng d1g1t5 has been exploring the inherent dialectical tension between tradition and innovation, namely in the reinterpretation and recreation of artistic-literary heritage. It is in this context that the collective has sought to combine computational creativity and an approach that promotes the revitalization of intangible heritage, namely through the disruptive use of digital technologies as a means of literary creation and artistic production.

The artwork is available online at the link: https://wreading-digits.com/moira

For more info, please visit: https://wreading-digits.com/site/uk/projects/moira-tavira/

Credits for photographs: Vito Ughetto and Museu Zer0.

 

 

VAST European survey for Theatre professionals available in 5 languages

Published: 5 August 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: News & Events, Surveys

The VΑST project has launched a new online survey, at European level, about user requirements from Theatre professionals, which is led by project coordinator NCSR Demokritos in Greece.

We welcome responses from all Theatre professionals (i.e.: theatre directors and actors, theatre educators, theatrical production companies, scholars, artists, theatrical teams, professionals and stakeholders) with the goal to understand their needs from digital tools that could help them in their work to analyse values, conduct research and communicate these values.

To access the survey (estimated time 10 minutes) visit this link https://platform.vast-project.eu/vast-platform-requirements-for-theatre-professionals/ and choose your preferred language at the footer of the page.

 

 

VAST conducts survey at Fairytales Festival on Kea island, GR

Published: 1 August 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: Dissemination, News & Events, Surveys

A dedicated task force from project coordinator NCSR Demokritos joined the Fairytales Festival on Kea Island on 30-31 July 2022.

To achieve research process, discussions were organised with the storytellers for the needs of the project to further investigate the values through space and time. In addition, more than 65% of the distributed questionnaires among the public and the attendees were filled in order to gather more information and draw conclusions on values.

highlights and emphasizes the timelessness and polysemy of the popular oral tradition and is a meeting place of cultures and cross-cultural exchange, through the collaboration of different types of art.

A few words about the Kea Fairytales Festival

The Fairytales Festival, has been carried out on the island of Kea in Greece for 20 consecutive years. This year the festival paid tribute to Alekos Fasianos, the  famous Greek painter who supported the Fairytale Festival since the beginning and created its logo.
More information about the Festival is available here.

VAST holds focus group with Museum Experts in Lisbon, PT

Published: 21 July 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: Uncategorized

Seeking to collect specialised knowledge regarding the communication of values, VAST project invited museum experts to a focus group in Lisbon on the 13th of July 2022.

Through a constructive discussion, museum experts provided VAST partners with their valuable expertise regarding the communication of values and the way audiences perceive the role of museums.

The focus group was the preliminary part of the VAST Plenary Meeting which followed the next two days, and the selected material was deployed in the brainstorming sessions and workshops that took place during the meeting.

VAST launches European survey for Cultural Institutions in 5 languages

Published: 20 July 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: News & Events, Surveys

The VΑST project has rolled out a pan-European online survey about the role of Museums and Cultural Institutions in the diffusion of values which is led by partner Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienze (IMSS) in Italy.

We welcome responses from all professionals who work in (and with) Cultural Institutions (i.e.: museums, art galleries, cultural spaces) with the goal to understand how these actors (i.e.: museum curators, museum educators, scholars, directors, artists, creative teams and other stakeholders) are involved in the communication of values and their role.

To access the survey (estimated time 10 minutes) visit this link https://platform.vast-project.eu/research-cultural-institutions-role/ and choose your preferred language at the footer of the page.

 

 

 

VAST collaborates with the Fairytales Festival on Kea island, GR

Published: 20 July 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: News & Events, Uncategorized

Our project will participate in the Fairytales Festival on Kea island in Greece taking place from 22 to 31 July 2022.

The Fairytales Festival of Kea is a well known event that attracts approximately 4.000 visitors each year and celebrates its 20th anniversary. The event is held in the Greek language, it is addressed at families with children as well as adults and hosts professional storytellers, artistic installations, workshops and other activities.

During the festival, and in the context of the project’s research VAST coordinator NCSR Demokritos will hold focus groups with the professional storytellers onsite so as to gather data and extract meaningful insights for the needs of the project.
Additionally, dedicated questionnaires will be distributed to the public from the same VAST task force on the spot to further investigate the public’s perception regarding values through space and time.

VAST Project holds plenary meeting and workshops in Lisbon, PT

Published: 15 July 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Having reached the first half of it’s lifetime, VAST project partners met physically for the first time in Lisbon between 14-15 July 2022 at partner NOVA University premises to hold the project’s 16th plenary meeting.

During the first day, the meeting reviewed the project’s progress until month 18 regarding the evaluation of the implemented pilot activities and the project’s objectives. Partners also discussed an updated version of the VAST Digital Platform development, the progress of annotation process and the Ontology’s design. On the same day the partners reviewed issues regarding the present of values, the content collected from all the implemented activities of the three pilots, and how this content could be exploited.

Partner presentations during the plenary meeting at NOVA partner premises in Lisbon

During the plenary several workshops took place, including the digital platform’s user requirements, user flows, necessary tools & content, the design of the VAST Ontology, and the tools used for the design of questionnaires in the VAST platform. Moreover, partners discussed an updated view of the dissemination and communication activities plan and the project’s business plan. The plenary closed with a discussion on the topic “Values and Museums” and the overall coordination and management of the project.

VAST project partners working on identifying values

Not all of it was work though! Partners enjoyed NOVA’s hospitality in the beautiful city of Lisbon enjoying a night out at a city restaurant listening to famous Fado music.

 

 

 

 

 

VAST commissions performance “Antigone” by Sophocles at renowned Athens & Epidaurus Festival

Published: 8 July 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: News & Events

VAST project is proud to present the commissioning of a performance in the frame of the world-renowned Athens and Epidaurus Festival.

The theatrical play named “Antigone” by Sophocles, the ancient Greek author, was commissioned by partner FESTIVAL for the VAST project needs and was part of its Summer 2022 programme of events. The play was a modern version of the Ancient Greek Drama, adapted to an era in which Media play a decisive role in shaping public opinion.

The performance advocates the relationship between the polis (city) (and its citizens) and power, a timeless question posed by this tragedy. Focusing on the pivotal role of the media in shaping public opinion, the play is set inside a government-sponsored television studio, where all political debates and decisions take place in real time. The Chorus of Elders is re-imagined as a council of politicians representing various aspects of hegemonic discourse, watching, always live, the brutal conflict between secular and moral law.

The play was held in Greek with subtitles in both With English and Greek on the opening night for persons with hearing impairment.

After the performance, two more activities were realised:

After the premiere of the play, on July 5th, a discussion between the audience and the director  of the play, Alexander Raptotasios, and the actors took place on the set with Dionysis Kapsalis as the moderator discussion with the director of the play took place emphasizing on values and their transmission through time.

 

Additionally, VAST ran a survey, in Greek after the play for three days, in two formats (physically onsite with printed questionnaires and online) to gather data on the public’s opinions on values after they had seen the theatrical play. The questionnaire is available here in Greek: https://platform.vast-project.eu/mobile-antigone-july-2022/

 

https://aefestival.gr/festival_events/antigone-2/?lang=en

 

Coordinator NCSR Demokritos participated in CitEdEV 2022 conference

Published: 6 June 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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 VAST project coordinator NCSR Demokritos presented a paper at the International Annual Conference 2022 “Citizenship Education in Divided Times: Building Connections Through Values”, which took place between 26-28 May 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications (IIT), Dora Katsamori, of VAST partner NCSR Demokritos, presented a paper with the title: “Citizenship Education and Hard To Reach Learners: How to promote values through education” on Friday 27 May. The paper aims to provide a theoretical contribution in the field of citizenship education and the role of education in the fight against social exclusion, using a case study of a Second-chance School. Second-chance Schools in Greece have been established as a tool for dealing with social exclusion, which is attributed to various reasons, however it is often a decision that people make on their own. These schools are addressed to adults who have not completed compulsory secondary education, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary for their social integration. They also strengthen their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Furthermore, the paper presents the students’ approach and perception regarding core European values ​​such as Freedom, Participation, and Democracy addressing the question: “How do students perceive values and what should be the role of education in terms of values communication, taking into consideration the feelings of inclusion and active participation that education should promote?” The research focuses on the field of citizenship education, given that schools are the first small society someone joins. In this small society, young people learn to interact as active members and exercise their rights. However, some students who are characterised as “hard to learn” leave earlier the society of school, a fact that leads them to social exclusion.

A few words about the conference

The conference is jointly organised by the Jean Monnet Network which consists of the Citizenship Education in the Context Of European Values (CitEdEV) and the Children’s Identity & Citizenship European Association (CiCea). This year the Conference focuses on European values and how they are communicated through Education.

Our brochure is out! VAST project in a nutshell

Published: 20 May 2022
Written by Elena Galifianaki
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Categories: News & Events

The VAST project has produced its first brochure, introducing the project to external audiences with a quick read.