Circolo - Comunità degli Italiani di Fiume (Uljarska 1, Rijeka)
Tuesday, 13 May, 2025, at 7:30 pm
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Foto: Borut Brozović / Drugo more
The city of Rijeka will host the international Summer School “S+T+ARTS4WaterII: Shaping the Future of Ports,” bringing together a unique community of artists, scientists, technology experts, and port industry stakeholders from across Europe.
Organized by Drugo more (Rijeka) and PiNA (Koper) the event, set to run from May 13 to May 16, 2025, will focus on innovative intersections of art, science, technology, and policy to reimagine ports as resilient ecosystems, responding to climate change and shaping sustainable futures.
The official opening of the international summer school, which will be open to the public, will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 7:30 PM at Circolo – the Italian Community of Rijeka/Fiume (Uljarska Street 1). The event offers an opportunity for interested members of the public to meet leading international experts and take part in a discussion on pioneering ideas shaping the future of port cities. The program will be conducted in English.
During the opening ceremony, welcome addresses will be delivered by the Mayor of Rijeka, Marko Filipović, the Director of the Port of Rijeka Authority, Denis Vukorepa, and the President of the Comunità degli Italiani di Fiume, Enea Dessardo. In their speeches, they will reflect on Rijeka’s rich maritime history and present the city’s vision for a sustainable future in the context of today’s challenges and opportunities.
The highlight of the opening will be a keynote speech by internationally recognized philosopher and author Srećko Horvat, who will reflect on the critical interplay between global politics, ecological imperatives, and the ethical challenges of port ecosystems in a rapidly changing world. Horvat’s address will underline the urgent need for radical shifts in how society views, manages, and interacts with these vital industrial and ecological nodes. Following the keynote, there will be a Q&A session moderated to stimulate meaningful exchange.
Attendance is free, but registration is encouraged due to limited seating capacity. Registration is available at this link.
ABOUT THE SUMMER SCHOOL
The Rijeka Summer School is structured around an interdisciplinary approach, anchored by four core themes:
- More-than-human perspectives: Encouraging awareness beyond anthropocentric views, exploring interdependencies between human and non-human entities.
- Systemic Interconnections: Examining the ecological and socio-economic interdependencies within and around port ecosystems.
- Climate Change: Addressing vulnerabilities, adaptive strategies, and resilience to environmental disruption.
- Art, Science, and Technology-driven Innovation: Facilitating holistic, creative solutions to foster sustainable, forward-thinking port operations.
Through workshops, hands-on activities, and collaborative scenario-building, participants will co-create strategic roadmaps aimed at sustainable transformation.
Participants include artists-in-residence from the S+T+ARTS4WaterII programme, international experts from marine institutes and research centers, representatives from European ports, policymakers, and invited professionals from relevant fields.
ABOUT THE S+T+ARTS4WaterII PROJECT
Funded by the European Commission, the S+T+ARTS4WaterII (Science, Technology and Arts for Water Management) project engages in deep interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging creative artistic processes combined with cutting-edge technological and scientific research. Europe’s ports face complex environmental and societal challenges—pollution, ecosystem degradation, climate change impacts, and socioeconomic pressures. Recognizing ports as crucial gateways connecting people, resources, and regions, the project addresses these challenges through art-driven innovation, digital solutions (AI, IoT, sensor platforms, drones, autonomous vehicles), and creative community engagements, aiming to enhance circularity, resilience, and ecological sustainability of port ecosystems.
The project involves partnerships with renowned European institutions including VITO and GLUON from Belgium, WAAG from The Netherlands, TBA21 from Spain, Kunst Haus Wien from Austria, the Camargo Foundation from France, OGR Torino from Italy, PiNA from Slovenia, UCD from Ireland, and Drugo More from Croatia. Together they form an ambitious programme of residencies, collaborative workshops, public showcases, and exhibitions aimed at reaching thousands across Europe. More information: starts.eu
STARTS4waterII is co-funded by the European Union under the STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts initiative of DG CNECT (GA no. LC-02629312.). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG CNECT. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of Drugo more and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.