The HSSH Slow Science Day: Multimodal dialogues on unhurried science was held at the end of October at Siltavuorenpenger. The event, organised by the interdisciplinary Slow Science research group with support from HSSH, invited members of the university community – researchers, teachers, students and administrative staff – to consider the conditions and pace of contemporary academic work.
Interest in the event turned out to be high: the 50 available places were filled quickly, and registration closed early. Perhaps reflecting the fast pace of academic work, only a little over half of those registered were able to attend the event. It is increasingly difficult to set aside an entire working day for voluntary gatherings, no matter how meaningful the topic.
During the day, participants engaged with collected autoethnographic material, discussed their own experiences of how academic capitalism and acceleration of time are felt and influence to academic work, and took part in art-based activities such as poetry writing and light improvisation.
The organisers also presented preliminary observations from their ongoing autoethnographic project on unhurried science. Participant feedback indicated that opportunities to reflect collaborativelyand with multiple methods on academic practices are timely and needed. There was a collectively sensed desire to start to change how we are conducting our work.
Given the strong interest, the Slow Science research group is planning further events to continue the discussion and explore the theme in more depth. The next event will be organized next May in collaboration with the University of Arts. Stay tuned and follow our news!