Engineering Students Discover New Ways to Connect with the Living World
Engineering Students Discover New Ways to Connect with the Living World
The second Pop‑Up Lab at Hexagone (France) took place from 27 to 29 January 2026 at INP‑UGA/ENSE3 – Graduate School of Sustainable Engineering for Energy, Water and Environment in Grenoble. Once again led by circus and dance artist Fanny Soriano, the workshop invited engineering students to step outside analytical thinking and explore sensitive, emotional, and embodied approaches to the living world.
Through movement‑based experimentation, participants examined how humans can perceive and relate to other species beyond technical or rational frameworks. The workshop culminated in a conference by a senior engineer titled “How to Include the Living World in Engineering”, opening a dialogue on how future engineers might integrate ecological awareness into their professional practice.
Circus Artist Fanny Soriano Explores Human–Plant Relations in Grenoble
Circus Artist Explore Human–Plant Relations in Grenoble
From 13 to 15 January 2025, the University Grenoble Alpes/Design Factory hosted the first Pop‑Up Lab of the European project Studiotopia 2, led by circus artist Fanny Soriano. The artist is, with the help of neuroscientist Kalliopi Ioumpa, developing an interdisciplinary artistic research project examining how humans relate to invasive plant species—particularly Japanese knotweed.
Over three days, students engaged in a workshop blending circus arts, physical theatre, and ecological inquiry. Through movement exercises and direct interaction with knotweed, participants explored notions of symbiosis, imbalance, and the shifting boundaries between bodies and ecosystems.
“Getting back in touch with nature, with our bodies, being sensitive to what surrounds us, listening to our sensations, smelling and touching seems to me to be imperative if we are to evolve in this world in transition,” Soriano reflected at the end of the session.
Imagining Sustainable Water Futures on the Brussels Canal
Imagining Sustainable Water Futures on the Brussels Canal
Still the River was a participatory art and reflection project initiated by Gluon in collaboration with the young artist collective Maleza. Through a series of workshops held aboard a boat on the Brussels canal, the project invited citizens to reconsider the role of this urban waterway and its connection to sustainability, community, and city life.
Across four workshops in August 2025, a total of 60 participants engaged in immersive, site-based experiences directly on the canal. Combining artistic practice with environmental reflection, participants explored their personal and collective relationships to the water through creative techniques such as linocut printing and collective weaving.
The workshops fostered dialogue around key themes including urban ecology, sustainable development, and the historical transformation of the canal. Participants were encouraged to see the waterway not merely as infrastructure, but as a living, interconnected ecosystem—an approach inspired by the philosophy of Buen Vivir, which emphasizes harmony between people, nature, and community.
A central outcome of the project was the creation of a large collaborative textile map, developed through prints and stitched contributions. This artwork reflects the canal as a shared yet complex and “wounded” body, shaped by social, economic, and environmental forces. The workshops were also documented and later presented as a video installation displayed on a mycelium screen aboard the same floating venue.
By combining artistic expression, collective learning, and environmental awareness, Still the River created a space for meaningful exchange and strengthened participants’ sense of connection and responsibility towards sustainable urban water systems.
Workshop that Explored Water Scarcity Through Art, Science, and Field Research
Workshop that Explored Water Scarcity Through Art, Science, and Field Research
A two‑day Pop‑Up Lab workshop, held on 20-21 November 2025 as part of the WIP Festival that took place in the CYENS Centre of Excellence (Cyprus), brought university students into direct contact with the ecological realities of water scarcity and desertification in Cyprus.
Led by artist Miguel Teodoro, the workshop combined scientific insight, hands‑on fieldwork, and creative interpretation to help participants understand how shifting ecologies shape everyday life on the island.
Immersive Fieldwork in Akaki
The workshop opened with a full‑day excursion to the Akaki Regenerative Farm. After departing from CYENS in Nicosia, students were welcomed by local practitioners who introduced current climate trends and the principles of agroecology and regenerative agriculture. A guided tour of the farm provided firsthand exposure to the environmental pressures affecting the region.
Participants then engaged in collective fieldwork, gathering soil and sediment samples, documenting ecological traces through photography, film, and drawing, and observing how drought conditions manifest in the landscape. The day concluded with a reflective session, where students translated their observations into visual notes and keywords that would guide the next phase of the workshop.
Creative Transformation at Thinker Maker Space
The second day shifted from field observation to creative interpretation. Meeting at CYENS Thinker Maker Space, participants revisited the materials collected in Akaki and explored them through group readings, discussions, and sensory mapping exercises.
Through collaborative drawing, writing, and conceptual development, students transformed raw ecological data into artistic frameworks that highlight patterns of drought, adaptation, and resilience. The session emphasized how artistic and scientific practices can intersect to articulate local experiences of environmental change.
Artist and STUDIOTOPIA resident Miguel Teodoro guided the workshop, encouraging participants to approach environmental issues through multisensory exploration and interdisciplinary thinking. His practice, which often bridges ecological research and creative expression, shaped the workshop’s focus on embodied learning and collaborative interpretation.
Pop‑Up Lab workshop was part of the broader WIP LAB 2025 Invisible Waters: Creative Talks & Open Play, which invites artists and researchers to share work‑in‑progress ideas through experimentation, dialogue, and public engagement.
