collective intelligence

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It is the adventure of young pioneers from all over the world who have created innovative and surprising projects, born of collective intelligence. These are the "Winters", hosted in a collaborative creation residency, from September 2017 to March 2018, within the Hive, the international hive dedicated to exploring the future at thecamp. These Millennials combine low technology, creativity and design with a common goal: to re-enchant the world and make it more human and sustainable... with the strength of a multicultural dimension. Presentation of the 7 projects.

 
Hive was born to respond to the desire to ensure artistic and creative continuity for thecamp, the base camp dedicated to the exploration of the future located in Aix-en-Provence. It is the creative heart of the campus and welcomes forty young people each year in creative residency. It gives them the tools to work differently and enrich each other by encouraging collaboration. A unique format in Europe and in the world, entirely dedicated to collaborative, multidisciplinary and multicultural creation of connected generations.
 
thecamp - Aix-en-Provence (13)
 
Hive #01 is the first promotion. It is a crew of twenty young people living and working in interaction with all the other explorers of thecamp. Together, they find solutions for the future, in particular to recreate a bond within society.

An atypical artist residency

Hive is one of a kind. It welcomes its Winters for creative residencies in total immersion for six months and invites them above all to collectively experiment with a new form of creation, at the frontier of different disciplines and cultures. Its residents, the Winters, have equally peculiar profiles. Chosen on a call for projects, without any diploma criteria, these creative people, talented in their respective fields, are curious minds who share thecamp's commitment and values. Coming from ten different countries, they cross their skills and life experiences on a daily basis. Hive offers its residents the means to create freely, with food, accommodation, remuneration and support throughout their journey, from the ideation to the prototyping of their projects.
 
 
Hive invents a tailor-made methodology to support his talents: When they join Hive, the Winters  do not come to develop a personal project, but to let themselves be surprised and engage in collective projects that they choose during the residency in a collaborative way, based on fundamental issues for our society. The Hive team accompanies them through a tailor-made and highly supervised methodology to encourage the emergence of ideas in a collective way and lead them to prototyping. At the start of the process, an immersion phase allows the Hive team to meet and discover each other, to gradually combine their skills. Then, ideation workshops are organized where teams and projects are created. Finally, the projects go through a prototyping phase before being presented to the general public and to the entire thecamp ecosystem.
 
 
The trademark of Les Hivers: collaborative creation. At Hive, projects are worked on in small teams - the core teams - but also collectively because everything Winter contributes to all ongoing projects.
TheWinters are co-creators because they share their imaginations, their energies, their experiences by feeding off their respective talents. The work units are formed naturally, according to affinities, into transdisciplinary teams.
 
The Hive spirit: openness, exchange and sharing. If they are accompanied on a daily basis by a dedicated team and benefit from the support of facilitators, advice from international experts and operational partners with whom they carry out their experiments in the field, theWinters are nonetheless invited to cooperate on their own to interact with others. Winters or Campers. They can speak at workshops or seminars organized for large groups and share their knowledge in peer-to-peer exchanges.
 
Who are the Winters ? Twenty creative young people, ten girls and ten boys, aged between 16 and 30, representing ten different nationalities (France, Tunisia, Senegal, Netherlands, Brazil, United States, Italy, Colombia, Taiwan, Spain). Among them are filmmakers, digital artists, special effects professionals, designers, engineers, coders, makers and innovation managers.
Connected, versatile, they invent and prototype simultaneously in a world where everything is quickly accessible. They are intuitive do-it-yourselfers, pragmatic pioneers but above all young creative people who are strongly committed to environmental and societal issues.
 
Thecamp is a base camp to explore the future! Inspired by American universities, but also think tanks and fab labs, thecamp is a space where innovative expeditions are prepared to probe, explore and invent the future in a collaborative way. It creates favourable conditions: a human ecosystem to co-create, methods and tools to prototype, partners to innovate in the field, spaces to decelerate, activities to make discoveries and create links.
This base camp is a starting point for clearing different directions for tomorrow, in collective intelligence, and guided by a humanistic vision. The discoveries made along the way will allow us to invent an exciting future, through new experiences of life, work and collaboration. Food, health, mobility, education, the environment... every day, explorers from all walks of life meet at thecamp for a few days or a few months in order to create new positive paradigms for the people of the planet.
 

7 amazing projects to reinvent tomorrow

 
A common thread: The projects presented gather around artistic creation, innovation, low-tech and digital, but they also question the human - the relationship between the human and technology, the links between the human and his body. They answer two fundamental questions: how can technological innovation help us to live better in tomorrow's world? And how can it enable us to preserve the place and role of human beings through innovation? The themes explored are diverse and respond to thecamp's major issues: preservation of the environment, new energy sources, mobility, the place of humans in intelligent cities, quality of life and education.
 
An innovation linked to transformation: What is this future that Hive explorers are interested in? It is a future where radical transformations are at work, where we no longer think in a linear, but in a systemic way. Where we are inventing new ways of moving, of using the planet's resources, of communicating, of growing, of evolving and of thinking about the world. It is a future where people live together according to new paradigms, following sustainable economic models, crossing knowledge and disciplines through collective intelligence, adopting disruptive and agile modes of governance.
 
 
BEEYOND a smart bee drone that analyzes air quality.
Inspired by nature - "bee" meaning bee and "beyond" meaning beyond - the Beeyond project is a technological innovation embodied by mini bee drones capable of analysing air quality at altitude. The three inventors of these strange 45 cm wingspan drones are makers, coders and sound designers. The mission of these intelligent insects is to collect data at altitude, in areas that are difficult to access, to analyse air quality, to enable us to map clouds of pollution and to protect ourselves from them in order to improve our environment and our quality of life.
 
Beeyond has several qualities: it is a light UAV (1kg) that can collect data between 5 and 150 m altitude, at a very competitive cost. Equipped with sensors and a powerful engine, it has an autonomy of 12 minutes and can fly solo, as bees do, then find its starting hive to transfer the collected data. It can then recharge and leave or hand over to a similar drone to repeat the operation. But it can also fly in squadrons, with several drones equipped with different sensors to collect additional data. Its departure and arrival base is an electronic hive serving as a recharging station and shelter in case of bad weather. It can be located in real time and in the event of unforeseen circumstances, the central server is alerted and the mini UAV returns home.
 
Flight mission: to study the air quality at altitude. The reason these drones are autonomous is that all flight plans are pre-programmed on satellite view from space. Beeyond is agile and can fly over areas that are difficult to access, such as industrial areas to measure pollution, peri-urban areas, large natural spaces or villages.
What it is looking for are the fine particles present in the atmosphere (PM 2.5) and the gases (SO2 and SO4) resulting from human activity or making up pollution clouds (combustion, transport, industry). But it can also measure temperatures or humidity levels. The collected data are sent via the Internet, for real-time display on a platform.
 
3D air modelling, mapping and study of pollution clouds: Beeyond allows to make 3D air modelling, to draw up precise maps around large factories, highways, cities... but also to study the movement of pollution clouds.
Skills that may be of interest to local environmental players, public authorities, national institutions, industrialists or research centres.

=> This project is supported by Air Paca, Tera Environnement and Safe Cluster. Beeyond should be tested in the port of Marseille in Spring 2018.
 
 
CAPSULE : an interactive olfactory installation that questions the encounter between individuals.
How can technology bring people together? In order to illustrate the beauty that can be created by "encounters", the two designers of the Capsule project have imagined an interactive installation to capture the "moment of an encounter". How does it work? Through questions to which the participants have to answer in turn and which allow for interaction and progressive self-revelation. The meeting is materialized by the creation of an original perfume in a unique copy.
 
Connected roads, bioluminescent lighting, the city of tomorrow is in perpetual motion. What will happen to man's place in the city? Relationships between inhabitants? Living together? Giving back a place for curiosity and encounters in the heart of our cities, the Capsule installation sheds light on how people relate to each other and create unique moments to be preserved.
To discover ourselves, let's encapsulate ourselves! When was the last time you were happy? What is your best memory? What is your favorite song? Installed in a chosen place (a library, a hotel, an airport), Capsule is a separate space, a tent where you can make yourself comfortable, inviting each duo to get to know each other.
Voice-over questions allow everyone to introduce themselves in a playful way. Answers are sometimes quick, sometimes hesitant, with mimics or gestures accompanying them, and the degree of intimacy revealed will vary. All of these data, translated, will metamorphose to compose an original perfume sample, witnessing the ephemeral beauty of this encounter. To be exchanged or shared to forge links!
An interactive and sensory experience to capture a shared moment. Capsule has a double objective: to make strangers meet, exchange and share a moment in an unusual place, a capsule; but also to allow hospitality professionals (airlines, hotels, public services) or space designers (architects, town planners) to better understand what happens when two people meet.

=> The CAPSULE installation will be tested at the Méjane Library in Marseille in Spring 2018.
 
 
INTERLUDE: an artistic and digital installation to reconnect with oneself.
While technological innovation enables us to be more autonomous, agile and efficient every day, the Interlude project shows that it can also help people to "decelerate", reconnect with themselves and live better in the city. Conceived by a trio of artist, film director, designer and maker, Interlude is an artistic installation offering a multi-sensory interactive experience combining sound and light. It is inspired by the principle of synesthesias (the concordance between our senses) to create bridges between our different perceptions.
 
Technology and digital combined for exceptional moments: magical encounters for intelligent cities, Interlude is an interactive art installation whose objective is to invite city dwellers, for a break, to participate in a complete immersive experience. The objective is to allow people to decelerate and reconnect with themselves during an interlude to the hyper-connected world. The approach is intuitive, the user is guided by curiosity at different moments of the experience.
An immersive sound and light installation to recharge your batteries: in a closed and dark space, a light globe producing a soothing sound attracts attention. If you put your hands on it, lights appear and form a nebula of leds in front of you. There follows a phase of interconnection where the globe begins to vibrate to the rhythm of the heartbeat of the person who grasps it. In case of stress, the lights illuminate the space in a random way. After appeasement, the lights are diffused in the form of pulses. In the final stage of relaxation, the lights form a harmonious spiral.

=> The Interlude installation will be tested in partnership with SNCF Gares & Connexions in the Aix en Provence station in spring 2018.
 
 
MERGY an experience based on human energy in the context of festivals.
How can technology help us produce and recycle energy for a sustainable future? This is the challenge addressed by three designers and innovation managers. Mergy is a technological device based on the principle of the dynamo, which makes it possible to capture the kinetic energy produced by man, store it and recycle it, particularly during festivals. An innovative technological solution to promote energy self-sufficiency. Welcome to the era of diffuse energy!
 
Spend your energy, Mergy recycles it to enlighten you: in the field, the ingenious idea takes the form of a flowerbed made up of large ceramic plates (10 m wide), ideally located at the foot of the music stages to collect the kinetic energy produced by the communities. Some of this energy would be recycled on site and would contribute to a local smart grid.
A miniature prototype to be discovered to approach Mergy in a playful way: before experimenting with life-size Mergy, a collaborative game has been imagined, bringing together 6 players confronted with the quest for energy recovery during a festival. On a large game board (1m x 60 cm) representing a model of a festival venue, the aim is to propose an initial development strategy and then to make choices of actions based on instructions presented in a book in which the players are the heroes. The objective, depending on the route taken by the players, is to produce the greatest possible amount of energy to best light the festival site.
Players start the game by installing different paper modules on the model: a marquee, tents, a refreshment bar, trucks... before being guided by the different options proposed in the book. The best course will be the one that will have allowed them to find the most efficient lighting system! A gauge is used to measure the level of energy produced and to determine the power of the team of players involved.
This collaborative game will be proposed to the National Education and to festival organizers.

=> THE MERGY PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE MARSATAC FESTIVAL IN MARSEILLE AND THE CAPENERGIES COMPETITIVENESS CLUSTER IN AIX-EN-PROVENCE SUPPORTING PLAYERS IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION.
 

 
RAWMATERIAL a new raw material derived from the recycling of oyster shells.
Conceived by a duo of designers, raWMaterial is a new raw material made of recycled oyster shells and natural binder. An ecological solution for the reuse of organic waste that opens new horizons for the famous shells, already prized by industrialists. raWMaterial could be used as a new component of the habitat or as a raw material for art and design crafts.
 
A responsible project to revalorize organic waste: While waste management is a challenge for our societies, raWMaterial offers a solution to revalorize the millions of shells consumed each year, by creating a new eco-recycled natural material. At the end of the day, ecological and financial benefits: reduction of waste collection costs for retailers and restaurants, development of local employment, reduction of the quantities of waste buried or incinerated, a new natural substitute for the polluting components present in our environment.
A natural raw material of long life: Rich in limestone and phosphorus, oyster shells are well known to be recycled in the countryside or reused by industry. They are used in the manufacture of animal feed components, mortar blocks, paints for road signage or even in the composition of filaments for 3D printers.
raWMaterial, coming soon to our homes? Once brushed, crushed and reduced to fine gravel, the oyster shells are mixed with a binder to metamorphose into a raw material with natural aesthetics that can be used to create components for the home, for crafts, design and interior decoration. There is no shortage of ideas: creation of work surfaces for restorers, decorative tiles, creation of art objects.

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=> A PROJECT SUPPORTED BY THE SHELLS SIGN OF ROY RENÉ D'AIX-EN-PROVENCE AND THE BOSSY TILE FACTORY, ARTS AND CRAFTS OF GARDANNE.
 

 
TALE A cultural application to discover oral tradition tales from around the world.
Revisiting the ritual of tales read aloud by the fireplace, Tale is an interactive application that allows you to discover a hundred tales from different French-speaking countries around the world. It stimulates interest in the cultures of the world, awakens the imagination of children and adults, and promotes the transmission of shared values.
 
With Tale, each story is a journey... Imagined and developed within Hive by a collective of 5 WintersTale is a cultural application for discovering and sharing the tradition of oral storytelling.
An interactive application for young and old: Interactive and multi-sensory, Tale is a collective library of tales and stories that can be fed by its users. Everyone can post and share their stories to feed this universal collection. Users can also illustrate the tales from an image bank and share their imagination with other users.
The tradition of oral storytelling augmented by 3D and virtual reality: Blending technology and poetry, Tale allows us to explore the world of storytelling from a multi-sensory experience: we will be able to listen to them, see them and soon read them. An immersive dive allows you to enter into the heart of certain tales whose setting is displayed at 360°. The team is soon planning to make a storyteller appear in augmented reality, thanks to a hologram, to make its users dream even more.

 
 
WEARKIT : an interactive costume capable of translating emotions, dedicated to live performance.
How can we support artistic creation by questioning the relationship between humans and technology? Let's imagine a stage costume designed for performing artists, dancers or circus performers, which would be a new form of body expression... This is the challenge that two engineers and artists answered by designing an interactive costume capable of changing shape or texture according to physiological data (such as heart rate or muscle activity).
 
 
A new generation costume: Wearkit, literally "the kit to wear", is a technological innovation that allows the creation of stage costumes adapted to the performing arts, capable of transforming into interaction with the artist who wears them during artistic or scenic performances. Wearkit is composed of different elements: a low tech accessory made up of modules and sensors placed on the skin - capable of measuring heartbeat, muscle activity or body movements - and a stage dressing to cover it (fabric, feathers, scales or other innovative material).
An open source tool to create spectacular and lively costumes: Equipped with Wearkit, any artist can freely create living costumes adapted to his practice, whose form or aspect evolve and become dynamic during his performances. This innovation opens the way to new forms of artistic expression and spectacular stage effects. The creators of Wearkit have already experimented, in collaboration with artists, a costume with plexiglass scales that rise and create volume with movement and a stage costume with a changing texture, changing according to the feelings expressed. Costumes that make visible the invisible, the inner life of the body, and materialize emotion, could be of interest to dancers, choreographers, playwrights and circus artists.
 
THE FIRST WEARKIT PROTOTYPE WAS TESTED DURING A CONTEMPORARY DANCE CREATION RESIDENCY IN MARCH 2018.

 

What future for Hive #01 projects?

 
At the end of Hive #01, some of the prototyped projects will be able to join the thecamp Accelerator for incubation, initiating a dynamic within the campus when others are already living their lives outside thecamp. The Interlude facility has received financial support and will be tested in the Aix-en-Provence TGV station for six months from spring 2018, in partnership with Gares & Connexions.
The Wearkit project, for its part, will continue its creative journey by integrating a new artist residency in Italy.
The projects belong to their creators and many of them plan to continue them. La Hive will have been a springboard for launching lively, shared projects, including the Winters are all contributors.
 
The new Hive #02 session will run from April to October 2018.
 

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