Pop Culture,
Sustainability &
Innovation
by
Oriol pascual
Oriolpascual.com

Layout
• Pop culture makes
everyone an artist
• Synergies between
art & sustainability
• Opportunities for
art, science, &
academia
Sustainable Dance Floor

Today, everyone
is a cultural agent

Traditional media

Complex & expensive

New media, affordable & accesible

Power shift also
aplies to physical
objects
Atoms are the New Bits
by Chris Anderson

Desktop 3D printing - MakerBot

3D printed figures

“Connectivity = productivity” Iqbal Quadir

technological
Innovation
is transforming
pop culture

Creativity = entrepreneurship

Pop culture
Video
Photo Music
Performance Gaming
Pop
Culture
Fashion Product design
Dance Graphic
Leisure

Pop culture today
• Empowerment of
the individual
• High connectivity
• Always online
• Digitalization =
cheap production &
free distribution

What is the role of
sustainability?

Sustainability
People
Planet Profit
Balance between social, environmental
& economic development

Sustainability today
• Science-centered:
Kw/h, Kg CO2, etc.
• Policy-driven:
Kyoto, EU
Directives
• Focus on
functionality at
reduced
environmental load

Sustainability needs
• User perspective
• Experience
dimension
• Interpretation &
understanding by
non-scientific
public

Scientist Artist
Facts & data Interpretation & vision
About making About providing
products greener experiences
Society

Sustainability
Society
Pop
Artist
Ecology Value

Role of the pop artist
• Interpreting science & hard data into
feelings, experiences & visions
• Contributing to awareness creation &
public debate
• Innovating & pushing the boundaries
of the established

Cases

Meet the Food You Eat by Adam Little

Pulse city watch
• Measures
environmental data
(1000 units in Paris)
• Promotes people
participation in
building
sustainable cities

Pulse City Watch by Fing

Laser tag graffiti
Laser Tag Graffiti by Graffiti Research Lab

Next nature
Light Grass
by Frits Stam

Public space &
energy consumption
Power Flower turns energy consumption into art

Opportunities for
art, science
& academia

4 themes

1. Interpreting
sustainability

We Feel Fine

1. Interpreting
sustainability
• Rationale: sustainability is hard to
grasp, understand & feel
• Goal: translate environmental data into
artistic representations
• Data: energy, CO2, waste, footprint
• Example: expressions of energy
consumption

2. Greening
pop culture

Reverse Graffiti

2. Greening pop culture
• Rationale: pop culture can be more
sustainable
• Goal: Explore synergies between
sustainability & pop culture
• Examples: Sustainable Dance Club,
Green Graffiti

3. Future nature

Dune 4.2 by Studio Roosegaarde

3. Future nature
• Rationale: nature is constantly evolving
• Goal: define scenarios for tomorrow’s
nature
• Examples: interactive landscapes

4. User-centered
sustainability

Don Norman

4. User-centered
sustainability
• Rationale: a lot is known on how to
make products greener, but little about
how green attributes are perceived by
users
• Goal: understand how users perceive
different dimensions of green
• Example: product semantics (pdf)

4 themes
1. Interpreting sustainability
2. Greening pop culture
3. Future nature
4. User-centered
sustainability
Flickr Photo by Dvortgirl

Defining the
Sustainability
interdisciplinary
field combining
sustainability, ?
innovation & pop Innovation Pop culture
culture

research opportunities
• How is sustainability & innovation
influencing pop culture?
• Under which circumstances does
sustainability drive innovation in pop
culture?
• What is the role of the professional pop
artist in sustainable innovation?

Artists,
scientists & academics,
can’t afford to miss
this opportunity

It is time to
invent the future!

About Oriol Pascual
• Business Developer
at Enviu
• Pre-Incubation
Manager at Dnamo
• PhD Candidate
TUDelft
• New Media Lover

oriolpascual.com
@onsustain