The Research Group CRAFT leads research activities integrating various disciplinary perspectives and academic/non-academic knowledge, aiming to provide science, solutions, and advice for societal, industrial, and political adaptation to complex future challenges in the marine and coastal areas. The keywords of the group are critical futures thinking, inter-/transdisciplinarity, and new technologies and competences in the Blue Sector.
* The Ocean Autonomy Cluster (OAC)
* The European Social Simulation Association (ESSA)
Organisational partner:
* CRAFT/ENCODE movie series at Verdensteater Cinematek, 2023-2024, Tromsø, Norway
* Review of Social Simulation and Artificial Societies (RofASSS)
* Social Simulation Festival 2021-2024
* IDEA – International Workshop on Interdisciplinary Design of Emotion Sensitive Agents at AAMAS, 2023
* ESSA Special Interest Group MOOD - Models of Human Decision
* ESSA Special Interest Group Qual2Rule - Using qualitative data to inform behavioural rules in Agent-based Modelling
* ESSA Special Interest Group SSG - Social Simulation and games
Research Group leader: Melania Borit.
Contact
melania [-dot-] borit [-at-] uit [-dot-] no
CRAFT Lab & ENCODE present a series of film screenings in cooperation with Verdensteatret Cinematek on pressing issues such as automation and the development of autonomous technical systems, the implications of rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, the societal, political, cultural, and economic ramifications of digitization, and the changing relations between humans and machines. Each film will be introduced by a scholar associated with the two research groups. After the screenings, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues taken up in the movies.
Previous screenings:
The Arctic Frontiers conference is a large yearly event held in Tromsø that includes the participation of international scientists, administrators, and policymakers. One of the side events in the program this year was the “Fram Talks: Communicating Arctic Science!”. Jorge Santos and Lilli Mittner, representing CRAFT Lab and, respectively, ArcHum (both from UiT), were the only academics as content developers among communication spcialists and media publishers. They explained the evolution of the exhibition “Living with Oceans” into a series of workshops and products based on situated arts and science that aim to reach and interact with a wide diversity of audiences, from well seasoned scientists to children. (Text: JS; Photo: Anuradha Gayanath)
Upon invitation from ArcHum, CRAFT Lab joined and sponsored a multidisciplinary outreach tour to three major cities in North Norway, Tromsø, Narvik, and Harstad. The venues included a heritage cinema, a Seamen’s church, and a black box theater, with audiences ranging from toddlers to active senior citizens. Our colleague Lilli Mittner from cultural studies at UiT, along with Jorge Santos, covered a variety of topics, including literature, marine ecology, history, sensory biology, aging and creativity, climate, quantum time, and future visions of life at the coast. Excellent support for these presentations was provided by Vokal Nord, one of Norway’s leading vocal ensembles, now directed by Anna Gallon. Specializing in baroque music and contemporary compositions inspired by Sami traditions, Vokal Nord is now also a world leader in deepwater melodies. (Text: JS; Photo: Cornel Borit)
Estuarize 2.0 is the policy and governance arm of the socio-ecological science project Estuarize 1.0, in which CRAFT Lab was also a partner. This new phase is action-driven and forward-looking: how can we ensure that all key stakeholders in an estuary collaborate, negotiate, and thrive in a stable environment? What formats, facilitation, and science are necessary to achieve this? The case studies now include the Umgeni estuary in Durban, a megacity in South Africa, as well as various estuaries in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya. The project is coordinated by Dr. Cosmas Munga (Technical University of Mombasa, Kenya) in collaboration with research institutions in Durban (Oceanographic Research Institute), Quelimane in Mozambique (Eduardo Mondlane University), Dar es Salaam in Tanzania (University of Dar es Salaam), and CRAFT Lab (UiT The Arctic University of Norway). Funding for the project from 2024 to 2026 comes from SCALABLE, a new funding instrument of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. (Text: JS; Photo: Photo: Umgeni estuary by NRJ, Wikimedia Commons)
As part of a joint course for exchange students from Japan and Sri Lanka, as well as PhD candidates and postdocs in CRAFT, we participated in a cruise led by Jorge Santos. We set out on the RV Beret Paulsdatter to explore the shallows and depths of the neighboring fjord. Fish and other organisms were sampled using different gear. Emily Venables operated the underwater drones, capturing stunning footage of the steep fjord walls. One of the most exciting sights was the remarkable marine snow in the dark depths, a process that makes fjords some of the most important decarbonization areas in the world. Overall, it was an excellent event for research, learning, and socializing. (Text/Photo: JS)
The Art-Science inter-disciplinary project "Humans and Oceans: A journey along the coast of Sri Lanka" kicked off this July with fieldwork in Sri Lanka. The field team together with local contributors utilised photographing, videographing, sound recording and participant observation in exploring everyday coastal culture along all the five coastal provinces of Sri Lanka. The project team originates at UiT and consists of Prof. Jorge Santos, Prof. Lilli Mittner, Helena Stavland, and Anuradha Gayanath. We aim at producing a Photo Book and possibly an online website, exhibition, and research articles. The project is funded by the NorLanka Blue project and CRAFT Lab. (Text/Photo: JS)
The exhibition that was inaugurated in Sesimbra (see April 2024 of this news briefs and here) made its way to the most famous arts festival in Northern-Norway, the Festspillene in Harstad. We added six new canvases with a Northern and Sami relevance. Combined with the exhibition, we run an age-exchange workshop for children and their grandparents about Harstad 2050. Both initiatives attracted many participants. This was another initiative of CRAFT Lab and ArcHum at UiT and the Sesimbra Maritime Museum, and was greatly facilitated by UiT Harstad. (Text/Photo: JS)
The Center for Coastal Culture project came to an end in the best possible manner. The renovated building was inaugurated with the presence of the local authorities and community, as well as the representative of the EEA Grants. Andreia Conceicão, director of the Sesimbra Maritime Museum, and a large team of the staff were the proud organizers and guides. Within one month the Center will be their main office as well as a museum reserve. It will house galleries, research labs and space for guest researchers, as well as a real grocery store, like in the old days. The project was funded by the municipality and EEA Grants. (Text: JS; Photo: CCC)
The FUTURES4Fish postdoctoral researcher Guri Hjallen Eriksen hosted a legal workshop in Båtsfjord, Finnmark, to provide theoretical and practical input to her research. Three legal scholars from the UIT The Arctic University of Norway and University of Oslo, a legal advisor from Norges Råfisklag, and the Port director of Båtsfjord attended the event. The group discussed topics of fisheries control, regulations about Illegal, Unreported, andUnregulated fishing, and consequences of European Union sanctions on Russia for the Finnmark community. They also visited fish processing facilities and met actors from the fisheries industry.” (Text: GHE)
Technology gives us new possibilities to visit the past. The last week of our Sesimbra rally was dedicated to dry diving. Our target audiences were the people with functional diversity and the elders, but soon more than one hundred 4th graders from Sesimbra schools joined in. The wreck of the battleship Numancia, which run aground in 1916, was an exciting and rich diving spot. Using a video game controller, participants could ope