The Aesthetico Seminar on Aesthetics of Care and Circular Economies of Design was organized by European University of Technology (EUT+) on December 14, 2022, from 9:00 am to 14:00 pm (CET). The seminar presented the research outcomes of the Erasmus K220 Aesthetico project. The seminar focused on the role of aesthetics of care (AoC) in technological education and its potential to promote circular and contributory economies.
The seminar featured presentations by Noel Fitzpatrick, Conor McGarrigle, Jose Serrano, Santiago Perez, Antonio Fornet, Cathaysa Martín-Blanco, Patricia Reus, Josefa Hernández, and Marinos Koutsomichalis. The presentations covered topics such as the preliminary results from the Aesthetico team, the concept of an industrial system that is restorative and regenerative by design, the transition from circular economy to circular society, and the importance of contributory research and contributory economy.
The seminar also included a round table discussion and a presentation on the general ECT Lab+ Aesthetico project. The round table discussion focused on the practical implications of AoC in design and engineering education, while the presentation on the general ECTLab Aesthetico project provided an overview of the project's objectives and research methodology.
The Aesthico project is a transdisciplinary and collaborative structure that investigates the nature and function of technology from a European perspective. The project proposes that AoC is necessary to inculcate the principles of circular economy and contributory economy in technological education. The seminar was the first of a series of transdisciplinary public seminars that aim to expand understanding of circular and contributory economies from a range of disciplinary perspectives.
