General Information
- Date: August 25-31, 2025
- Location: Namur and Redu (Euro Space Center), Belgium
- Working languages: English
- Accommodation details:
- 1 night in Namur (25/08) – Hotel to be booked using a promotional code.
- 5 nights in Redu (Euro Space Center).
- Cost: The expenses will be paid directly by the PhD students(<79€/day).
- Applications open until: July 1, 2025
Lab Objective
This lab aims to develop participants’ creativity through an interdisciplinary creation project centered on a space-themed topic. By engaging with artistic, scientific—including both natural sciences and humanities/social sciences—and technological approaches,participants are encouraged to step beyond their usual ways of thinking to co-design an original creation (installation, performance,prototype, narrative, etc.). The emphasis is placed as much on the creative process as on the final outcome: experimenting with diverse creative methods, learning to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams, and expressing scientific knowledge—across all fields—in innovative and unexpected formats.
Public
This lab is open to PhD students from all scientific disciplines within the member universities of the UNIVERSEH Alliance who are curious to explore their practice through a creative lens, particularly in connection with space exploration and its technological, societal,and philosophical challenges. No prior artistic experience is required — only a willingness to experiment and collaborate!
Who can apply? PhD students from any discipline who are interested in expanding their research practice through exposure to artistic methods and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Participants will be selected with the aim of ensuring a balanced representation of genders.
Theme
Solarpunk meets Space Exploration — Restoring Earth,Dreaming the Stars.
What if the future could be imagined by bringing together the rigor of science and the vision of creativity—driven by ecological urgency and cosmic curiosity? This lab invites scientists from all disciplines to roll up their sleeves and create alongside talented artists, collaboratively crafting narratives and prototypes of hopeful futures. Grounded in solarpunk aesthetics and the ethics of space exploration, this is not just a meeting of minds but a hands-on, shared creative process. It’s neither a technophile fantasy nor a dystopian escape, but a collective journey to invent hybrid, resilient, and inspiring futures—where science and art shape what’s possible together.
Fields may include (but are not limited to)
- Environmental sciences, ecology, energy studies
- Low-tech innovation, repair engineering, sustainable design
- Feminist science studies, STS, postcolonial or indigenous science
- Education, pedagogy, digital humanities
- Biotech, bioinformatics, microbiology
- Information and computer sciences with environmental concerns
Possible thematic entry points (open to reinterpretation)
- Urban resilience and community ecologies
- Repair cultures and technological care
- Energy democracies and post-growth infrastructures
- Speculative storytelling and solarpunk education
- Bio-art and everyday rewilding
- Feminist and situated ecologies
- Ecologies of digital waste and data degrowth
- Multispecies learning and post-anthropocentric schools
The programme includes:
- Creative Labs: Collaborative working sessions, in small groups, dedicated to exploring, designing, or producing the creative project that is the core objective of the residency. This is the main space for research,experimentation, and artistic-scientific prototyping.
- Art Workshop: Hands-on session led by a guest artist, centered on a specific technique, process, or artistic approach. It provides an immersive experience into a singular practice that may inspire or challenge the participants’ own projects.
- Inspirational moments: Encounters with artists and scientists who share their journeys, methods, and current research. These talks are designed to spark curiosity, generate new ideas, and foster unexpected connections.
More information about the programme, artists and speakers in the brochure
