Doctoral Researcher Erich Berger presented research on the social impact of sustainability in post-industrial cities at the Nordic Geological Winter Meeting

Third-year doctoral researcher in cultural anthropology, Erich Berger, gave presentation about "Art and the Mediation of Scale in the Anthropocene" at the Nordic Geological Winter Meeting last January. His participation in the conference was supported by the UNIC Expert’s Voice Fund.

Berger’s research focuses on artists and artistic practices that respond to environmental conditions resulting from human impact. His work takes an interdisciplinary approach that brings together anthropology, art, and earth sciences. It explores how art, in collaboration with the sciences, can contribute to a better understanding of human-driven environmental change and help identify ways to address it.

In his presentation, Berger discussed the Anthropocene as a crisis of scale, highlighting the mismatch between human experience and the planetary rhythms that sustain life. By examining artistic practices, he explored how art, together with science, can help make planetary-scale processes more perceptible and encourage new ways of thinking about humanity’s place in deep time.

Berger’s conference trip was funded through the UNIC Expert’s Voice Fund because his research connects to the societal impact of research in post-industrial cities and to questions of sustainability. “Specifically, I want to understand what art can contribute to this type of research in an interdisciplinary setting where natural and social sciences, the humanities, and the arts work together to co-produce knowledge,” Berger explains when describing his motivation to promote UNIC values and principles.

Approximately 50 people attended the session. The audience consisted mainly of researchers from the natural sciences. According to Berger, the discussion that followed his presentation complemented the session well, particularly the exchange about the Anthropocene as a cultural concept with historical roots in colonialism, racism, and the exploitation of both humans and the environment.

Berger considers the Nordic Geological Winter Meeting a valuable opportunity to meet and connect with researchers who share an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. The conference was also an important opportunity to represent both his research and the University of Oulu. Without the UNIC Expert’s Voice Fund, he would not have been able to attend.

“I was very glad that UNIC supported my participation in this event. I found it particularly helpful that there is a quick and low-threshold funding opportunity for conference participation,” Berger reflects.

The UNIC Expert Voices Fund aims to incentivise University of Oulu researchers, students, and staff members to enhance dissemination activities of the European University UNIC by supplying staff and students a platform to share knowledge and best practices beyond the European University. UNIC Expert Voice Fund is a mobility grant, which enables researchers to attend conferences, trainings, or workshops, where they can disseminate outputs of UNIC initiatives and collaborations.