Innovation is born at the boundaries
Anyone who has worked creatively with others knows that one plus one can actually become three. At NAVET, interdisciplinary and cross-boundary collaboration results in technological solutions used in areas such as opera, film, circus arts, and sound.
“Our research projects exist at the intersection of art, technology, and design, with a focus on people” says Roberto Bresin , director and professor of media technology specializing in sound and music interaction.
NAVET was founded seven years ago to fill the gap where technology meets artistic perspectives alongside critical inquiry — a place where hands, minds, and the needs of the artistic sphere could come together in a new way of conducting research.
“There was no such platform in Sweden, and we wanted to broaden the perspective of what technology and engineering can be,” says Bresin, a view echoed by researcher and project manager Ludvig Elblaus:
“The question of what technology can be has enormous potential for radical curiosity combined with a critical mindset. Art has always anticipated the future and technological development, so it is only natural that a technical university should also operate in this boundary-crossing space.”
Hub and meeting place
Interest in programs connected to NAVET is strong. Related fields include media technology, interaction design, computer science, and architecture. Under NAVET’s direction, project courses, workshops, student festivals, research projects, and the master’s-level course Communicating Science Through Art and Art Through Science are organized.
NAVET’s spokes currently extend to institutions such as Stockholm University of the Arts, Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Royal Institute of Art, Konstfack, Tekniska Museet, and Scenkonstmuseet, with collaborations continuously evolving.
“You could say that we are the hub and meeting place.”
The successful opera The Tale of the Great Computing Machine, staged in the Reactor Hall at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2022, is one of many concrete examples of NAVET’s involvement.
“It is incredibly rewarding to work within real production processes alongside true professionals in their respective fields, where questions and answers are formulated together to find the best solutions,” says Elblaus.
Inspiring for students
How future robots should sound, or which sounds would be preferable in future urban environments where electric cars move silently through the streets, are examples of projects included in NAVET’s program series at Tekniska Museet.
Other projects include creating sound synthesis to match a circus artist’s movements or developing sensors to enhance the staging of a dance performance.
“It is highly inspiring for our students to create something tangible that may ultimately be put to real use,” says Bresin.
“And music technology is also a growing Swedish export industry,” Elblaus adds.
The vision is for NAVET to grow into a permanent research center at KTH. In the near future, however, the agenda includes the inauguration of a new sculpture in Princess Estelle Sculpture Park on June 2, where KTH is participating as a collaborative partner.
In cooperation with Tekniska Museet, a student festival on the theme Dream ex Machina will also be held for the third consecutive year this autumn. NAVET is further contributing in various ways to the visualization arena Wisdome through projects connected to research, education, and science.
“A great deal can happen when complementary areas of expertise ask questions together,” says Bresin.
Text: Jill Klackenberg (
jillk@kth.se
)