STARTS4Water Academy in Sifnos!

How much "invisible" water do we consume in our daily lives? What different sources, ways of collecting and processing and uses of water do we find on the island of Sifnos- then and now? How important is proper water management nowadays? How can art, science and technology raise awareness about the challenge of water management?

Photo: Pavlos Lazos

From the 22nd to the 26th of November, in collaboration with various artists, scientists and water experts, we implemented a series of workshops using art, science and technology at the High School with Lyceum Classes of Sifnos. Focusing on the local and global issue of water scarcity, as well as the urgent need for proper water management, these workshops focused on the different uses of water on the island of Sifnos, as well as the hidden knowledge of the past around water. .

Through presentations, information and sensory mapping activities, as well as creative writing, photography and theater workshops, we delved into these issues with the 3rd grade students of the High School and together we created a fantastic collective narrative that touches, in unrealistic ways, these issues, while guiding us to the Sifnos path of Erkies and the traditional infrastructure of water management and use on the island.

Students' photo taken during the Workshops' week

You can get a taste of what happened in the workshops here, as well as be guided on this fantastic route, through the digital pluggy application (available in Greek).

We would like to thank the team of artists and scientists who collaborated with us for the implementation of the above workshops, the students who participated, as well as the high school principal Nikos Belios for his support. It was a week that we as well learned a lot from our stay on the island.

The action takes place in the framework of our participation in STARTS4Water, an initiative of the European Commission to foster alliances of science, technology, and the arts, that effectively implement a European approach to technological innovation centered on human needs and values. 

With the support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports in the context of grants for cultural activities and programs for children and adolescents.