IMEC and AddictLab Collaboration Will Use Art & Design to Bring Science and Technology to Life

IMEC and Addictlab are launching a new call for ideas and visions on future applications of emerging technologies in the field of art, design , architecture, fashion, communication, environment, health and well-being. After a first successful collaboration researching visual, conceptual and more practical ways of communicating about nanotechnology, a new call will take it one step further into the world of emerging technologies and their applications, with a focus on the emerging invisible (a-material) production, where benefits are perceptions centred. The Addict & IMEC partnership is also aimed at creating a brand new international platform for creative views on nanotechnology applications and ideas. An international jury will select a winner for each application domain and announce it during a public event in 2009.

It all started a year ago. IMEC, Europe’s leading independent nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research center, was driven by a vision to open the horizon of emerging technologies research — not only by widening the fields of scientific studies but also by involving and informing as many people as possible. Science is for all, not just an educational topic but a means of increasing creativity and creating a true dialogue on science, technology, possible applications and implications. By crossing the borders between science and technology and art and design industry, research institutes, academia and policy leaders can enter into a dialogue with the public.

In this aim, IMEC came to Ad!dict Creative Lab for a first project that resulted in a publication: #27 Nanotechnology. This Inspiration Book generated workshops and exhibitions during 2007, and it’s still used at IMEC as a communication tool to explain that science and creativity have no limits. The present project needs to be considered as a step further: emerging technologies are becoming privileged media in art and design. Even if still limited to a niche category (e.g. bio-art, interactive- or experience design, etc.) we all know that in an optic of sustainable development, this might be the future.

The Addict Inspiration Book #29 “in.tangible.scape.s” will go through that entire invisible domain that is moving the creativity world from the object predominance to the experiencing sphere of perceptions and the benefits of a more and more invisible (a-material) production. This call reaches out to designers, artists, students, architects, engineers, researchers and dreamers worldwide. This second step will lead Addict with its labmembers and IMEC to the promotion of a new global approach of science and high-tech applied to arts and design in the wider sense.

ABOUT IMEC

IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Its research focuses on the next generations of chips and systems, and on the enabling technologies for ambient intelligence. IMEC’s research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art infrastructure and its strong network of companies, universities and research institutes worldwide position IMEC as a key partner for shaping technologies for future systems.

IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has a sister company in the Netherlands, IMEC Nederland, concentrating on wireless autonomous transducer solutions, and has representatives in the US, China, Taiwan and Japan. Its staff of more than 1,600 people includes more than 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2007, its revenue (P&L) is estimated at about EUR 235 million. Further information on IMEC can be found on www.imec.be.

ABOUT ADDICTLAB

Addictlab is all about accelerating talent and generating innovation. Who’s behind Ad!dict Creative Lab?

More than 4,000 registered creatives from all over the world and from 32 disciplines (fashion, photography, architecture, cooking, design, textile, music, advertising, branding…). Jan Van Mol’s unique cross-over laboratory publishes the internationally acclaimed “Ad!dict Inspiration Books”, allowing individuals, brands, non-profit organizations, governments and cities to tap into Ad!dicts unmatched pool of creative and multidisciplinary talents to further enhance their product innovation and brand identity.

What’s Ad!dict’s mission?

o Discovering new talent, giving it diverse platforms and forming a bridge towards the industry and the audience/consumer.

o Helping the industry on a transparent, ethical and ‘creative objective’ way when creating products, services, marketing, looking for innovation etc.

Since the beginning, the Lab has been working with young creatives, students and schools, in order to promote a series of open debates on different themes that enhanced global creativity and diversity as major contributions to build a better world. Moreover, Ad!dict’s role in bridging the creative universe and the industry sector, is considered fundamental in order to attend very practical results in the change process.

Ad!dict is a bottom-up and self-managed cultural platform that guests, at the same level, Northern and Southern creatives, aiming at the same time to create a global display for cultures and ideas through networking and improve local talents empowerment.

www.addictlab.com

Contacts:

Katrien Marent, Director of External Communications, IMEC, T: +32 16 28 18

80, katrien.marent {at} imec(.)be

Barbara Kalkis, Maestro Marketing & PR, T: 1 408 996 9975,

kkalkis {at} compuserve(.)com