Materials, art and sustainability at this year’s introduction days
Uganda’s Mahshid Bahadorian, Aggrey Mushabe and Iran’s Kazem Sharafirad took part in this year’s interdisciplinary introduction days, which focused on sustainable development. They will now begin their studies on various programmes at Campus Gotland. Photo Daniel Olsson
The new students had barely had time to catch their breath after arriving at Campus Gotland before the Searching for Sustainability introduction days began. This is the University’s largest interdisciplinary event for students, and focuses on sustainable development. This year’s event took place on 4–6 September.
Lovísa Eiríksdóttir with students at the Ullkontoret wool scouring mill on Gotland. Photo Daniel Olsson
Around eighty Swedish and international students came together over the course of three days to create a social platform and a breeding ground for cross-disciplinary cooperation. Five programmes with a sustainability focus at first- and second-cycle levels took part, alongside students on freestanding courses.
“The most important thing is that students meet and connect with each other – right from day one,” says Lovísa Eiríksdóttir, a senior lecturer at the Department of Business Studies. “But they also need this time to reflect and engage in conversations about what sustainability involves.”
A time and a place for exploring
This year’s event focused on “Materiality and the common good”, and was organised in collaboration with the Baltic Art Center artistic residency in Visby. “Using art as an entry point for sustainability is just as much about asking questions as it is about giving answers,” continues Lovisa. “The aim is to create a space where students are simply allowed to be and to explore without knowing what the results will be.
“Practising being in a state of uncertainty is highlighted by research as an important aspect and capacity that we need to develop in order to tackle sustainability challenges. Here, we also talk about how we can use art as a means of expression and a way of working with these questions.”
How can we think differently in order to make use of our shared resources in a sustainable manner? Photo Daniel Olsson
To find inspiration for dialogue and discussion, the students visited the Ullkontoret wool scouring mill in Endre and the Sculpture Factory in Boge on the second day. These are two innovative businesses that reuse and refine typical local materials in different ways. They then brought their thoughts and ideas back to campus for a final workshop and a vernissage at Gotland Art Museum.
The results from the ‘Earth scanning’ workshop, led by artist Torbjörn Limé. Artistic and creative processes can improve learning and understanding of complex issues. Photo Lovísa Eiríksdóttir
The challenge of interdisciplinarity
Introduction days have been held at Campus Gotland since 2018, and Lovisa Eiríksdóttir has been involved right from the start. Together with a group of colleagues, she ensures that the event evolves year on year. However, organising these introduction days is far from easy. A lack of funding and time for coordination and planning are frequent challenges.
“The most important thing about sustainability education is taking an interdisciplinary approach, and that’s something we all keep saying. However, there are no structures for this yet within the University. That’s why these days are so important in order to get the interdisciplinary conversation started at least. We now hope that students will continue the exchange outside the classroom, creating a context where they can learn from each other.”
About
The Searching for Sustainability introductory days have been held at Campus Gotland since 2018, for students on programmes with a particular focus on sustainable development.
In 2024, the event was arranged in collaboration with the Baltic Art Center (BAC) for the following programmes and courses: