LASER JRC in ISPRA: Art–Science for Transformative Futures
This event explores how art–science-policy collaborations contribute to knowledge and innovation in the EU.
EVENT INFO
When: 13th November 2025 at 11h – 12:15h CET followed by an informal lunch to continue conversations
Format: Hybrid (Bld17 + Webex).
Access via Cisco Webex
Drawing on examples from art-science-policy collaborations that took place at the European Commission in 2023 and 2024, Nur Gizem Yalcin (political scientist) highlights that transformative futures depend on rethinking fundamental relations - such as those between humankind and the natural world – ahead of technical solutions. She shows how transdisciplinary collaborations can facilitate co-learning and inspiration as ways to translate relational insights into policy, institutional design, and everyday practices that sustain ethical co-existence.
Cultural economist Lyudmila Petrova’s study is based on the theory of commons and the application of the Value-Based Approach (VBA). It reveals how value-based communing practices balance scientific inquiry, artistic creativity, and policy relevance; and that most participants experience these collaborations as knowledge generation.
Historian Sofia Greaves sees artists as knowledge absorbers who create meaning and robustness around complexity. She argues that integrating arts into science can generate knowledge and innovation, and advocates for institutional frameworks that give recognition to transdisciplinary work as a core research activity.
Meanwhile, moving beyond the art-science-policy collaboration process, climate researcher Anna Pagnone’s early-stage investigations examine the relevance of artworks for societal action. Together, these contributions invite reflection on how art–science ecosystems can generate innovation in science and policymaking - what kind and at what level - calling for governance and knowledge systems based on epistemic diversity, relationality, and shared responsibility.
Join us for an open dialogue around these research findings, to exchange and brainstorm on future needs to highlight the positive role of transdisciplinary collaborations in sustaining inclusive and competitive transformations across Europe.
SPEAKERS BIOS
Nur Gizem Yalçın recently joined Maastricht Sustainability Institute (NL) as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research explores socio-political dynamics of a circular economy/society, with a particular focus on the role of discourses, power dynamics, and the transformative potential of art in these transitions. Away from her research, she finds joy in singing, where she connects with rhythm and emotion. Chapter 4 of her PhD dissertation focusses on art-science related research: https://zenodo.org/records/15785525. This work is currently under review by the Journal of Sustainability Science.
Sofia Greaves is a freelance arts-based researcher and historian specializing in the intersection of art, urban planning, and environmental policymaking. Her work investigates how artists contribute to knowledge production, particularly within the context of sustainable urban development. Her recent work at the postGrowth Innovation Lab examined the socio-political and environmental impacts of capitalism and fostering post-Capitalist futures through art-science collaborations.
Anna Pagnone is an environmental physicist who fell in love with art&science collaborations. After research experience as a climate modeler and an expedition on an icebreaker in the Southern Ocean, she led the art&science project “Portraits of Climate” at the University of Hamburg. Anna is currently a visiting scientist at JRC SciArt. She thrives on bringing transdisciplinary projects to life—especially those that deepen understanding and inspire societal transformation toward effective climate change mitigation and sustainable adaptation.
Lyudmila Petrova is a seasoned researcher and teacher with over 15 years of experience in cultural economics, creative industries, and cultural impact and policy. Holding a PhD in Cultural Economics from Erasmus University, Lyudmila is a Visiting Lecturer at Erasmus University and a Co-Founder of the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Economics (CREARE). At CREARE she leads the implementation of the Value-based Approach as well as being the Principal Investigator for the Horizon Europe project on the cultural commons (GLAMMONS).
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the Commission’s science and knowledge service and provides independent scientific advice and support to EU policy, in order to tackle the interlinked and complex challenges faced by our society. Operating at the interface between science and policy, the JRC wants to strengthen its capacity to be a key partner in helping to identify solutions to such challenges.Its Science and Art project (SciArt) brings together scientists with artists and policymakers to discuss matters of concern, not only to the JRC and the European Commission but also more widely to society. It brokers, curates and communicates transdisciplinary exchanges and encounters around given topics of interest. It operates on a bi-annual cycle, Resonances, during which the topics are elaborated jointly by artists and scientists. https://resonances. jrc .ec.europa.eu/front
The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks
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