Futures (Un)known

Lectures & artist talks

Close your eyes. Picture the arts in higher education in 2045. Imagine multiple futures, how working practices will change, while dealing with global uncertainty. Is it possible to map unknown futures today? What structures do we need to create the sustainable and desirable futures our art students deserve?

FAST45 Futures (Un)known invites higher arts education leaders, educators, creative practitioners, researchers, artists, students, cultural workers, and policymakers to actively participate in an illuminating two-day programme of futures-thinking activities from 6 - 7 December 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.

Discover and respond to futures scenarios, findings and tools co-created as part of the EU-funded project FAST45 - Futures Art School Trends in 2045. Engage in policy debate and start constructing a roadmap that will empower higher arts education institutions to anticipate an unknown future and actively shape it.

Programme

WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER

VENUE: LUCA School of Arts, campus Sint-Lukas Brussels,
Paleizenstraat 70, 1030 Brussels

9:00 - 9:30 Coffee and Registration

09:30 - 10:30 Opening plenary

10:30 - 12:00 Breakout sessions - FAST45 Scenarios

Discover and roleplay one of the 4 FAST45 Scenarios. Please chose which scenario you would like to unfold, based on the brief summary.

Scenario 1: Open Spaces: Higher arts education institutions prioritise creating inclusive and collaborative environments called Open Spaces. These spaces foster individualistic lifestyles, emphasising self-reliance, uniqueness, and abstract thinking. They build strong relationships with diverse communities and engage with societal, environmental, sociocultural, and technological challenges. Open Spaces serve as hubs of artistic ingenuity, encouraging creativity and collaboration, and addressing the complex problems of society and the planet.
Scenario 2: Slow Eco-life: Higher arts education institutions become active contributors to sustainability goals, embracing regenerative practices and collaboration between species. Hierarchies are flattened, and students play a vital role in decision-making. Slowness and degrowth are seen as catalysts for creativity, while resource scarcity is integral to artistic growth. These institutions cultivate holistic artists and conscientious citizens committed to addressing global challenges and nurturing a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
Scenario 3: Phygital Frontiers: Advancements in quantum cloud computing, AI, and neurotechnology lead to a phygital environment, blending physical and digital realms. Artists augment their bodies and push artistic boundaries, integrating AI for personalised learning and generative technologies for artistic research. Decentralised autonomous organisations manage education, and fresh perspectives and legislation are needed to navigate the ethical challenges of technology-driven art. This scenario calls for a dynamic framework that upholds ethical principles while embracing innovation.
Scenario 4: Profitable Endeavours : Artists, arts organisations, and arts universities navigate a business-oriented landscape while facing challenges to academic and artistic freedom. Customised education, university-business partnerships, and impact-focused research offer opportunities, but economic constraints and limited access to higher arts education persist. Informal networks and agile alliances outside traditional institutions foster artistic inquiry and achievements. To thrive, artists and institutions must adapt, forge alliances, and embrace alternative networks that foster inclusivity, artistic freedom, and diverse perspectives.

12:00 - 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 - 15:00 Breakout sessions

The Learning Platform: FAST45 developed a Learning Platform which includes a Data Map and a 3-year-long journey of lectures and seminars exploring different forms and aspects around the concept of a learning platform, its history, present use, and possible future developments. Join this session to learn about the highlights and main findings.
Arts-based Methods in Futures Thinking: FAST45 tested new methodologies for enhancing future thinking and imagining alternative futures in higher arts education. Join this session to find out more about how to use the FAST45 Guidelines (to be published in Autumn) for implementing Future Labs and the main finding on applying art-based methods.
Speed Dating to the Future: Using a speed dating method, this session provides participants with insights on how to apply future thinking and its possible applications.

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break

15:30 - 17:00 Closing Plenary

17:00 - 18:30 Reception

THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER

VENUE: CINEMATEK

Baron Hortastraat 9, 1000 Brussels

9:30 - 10:00	Coffee and Registration
10:00 - 11:00	Plenary - FAST45 Policy Agenda Policy recommendations from the future and artistic intervention
11:00 - 11:30	Coffee break
11:30 - 13:00	Panel discussion Unfolding the policy recommendations
13:00	Lunch

Venues

The first-day conference takes place at Campus Sint Lukas Brussels of LUCA School of Arts (Paleizenstraat 70, 1030 Brussels).

The second day takes place at CINEMATEK (Baron Hortastraat 9, 1000 Brussels).

HOTELS

Here you can find a list of recommended hotels, all of them within walking distance from the first-day venue, the LUCA campus Sint-Lukas Brussels.

Indigo Brussels (Place Charles Rogier 20, 1210 Brussels)
Motel One Brussels (Rue Royale 120, 1000 Brussels)
Nhow Brussels (Rue Royale 250, 1210 Brussels)
Best Western Royal Centre Brussels (Rue Royale 160, 1000 Brussels)

TRAVEL

Thanks to its central location, Brussels is easily accessible. We recommend using public transport.

The Campus Sint Lukas Brussels of LUCA School of Arts is situated nearby the railway station Brussels North. There are direct connections with Germany, the Netherlands, the international airport Zaventem and the Belgian rail network.
Arriving from France or the United Kingdom in Brussels South (Bruxelles-Midi), you have a regular connection with Brussels North railway station.
Zaventem international airport connects Brussels with numerous European cities and with other continents. There is a regular train connection with Brussels North, Brussels Central and Brussels South (Midi) railway stations

CINEMATEK is the location for the second day of the event. This venue is located less than a 5-minute walk from the Brussels Central Station.

HOST: LUCA School of Arts

Even though LUCA School of Arts is a young art college, its history goes back more than 150 years. The art school combines the strengths and expertise of five renowned Flemish higher education institutions for art and design, in Brussels, Genk, Ghent and Leuven. Today it is the only university college in Flanders exclusively dedicated to art and design.

More than 3300 students can choose from over thirty programmes in Audio-visual Arts & Techniques, Interior & Product Design, Construction Technology, Music & Drama and Visual Arts & Design. LUCA School of Arts offers both professional and academic bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and advanced bachelor's and master's degrees. In co-operation with KU Leuven University, which LUCA is associated with, LUCA also offers a PhD-programme.

Students at LUCA School of Arts are taught by a dedicated team of renowned practising artists, designers and architects. Rather than imposing a particular style or way of working, the faculty guides students to find and formulate their own artistic solutions.
LUCA School of Arts works with numerous partners in Belgium and abroad. That is what makes LUCA what it is today: an intriguing biotope where creativity flourishes even after school hours.

The campus Sint-Lukas is the largest Brussels campus of LUCA School of Arts, situated between the Paleizenstraat, the Rogierstraat and the Groenstraat. This modern campus with historic reminiscences consists of two new and one renovated building designed by Polo.Architects.