As in art, the world of ideas finds in science a way to materialise. Abstract concepts such as the complexity of the world or the notion of time become tangible thanks to artistic and scientific disciplines and their intersections. Intersections that make it possible to generate new knowledge to find answers to today's questions and in which creativity plays a key role.
How do researchers live, what procedures do they follow, how do they find evidence to support their hypotheses, what uncertainties are they exposed to? The knowledge generated is cumulative and, in turn, subject to the changes brought about by new discoveries and theories. Knowledge that allows us to face challenges, find solutions and requires the participation of all areas of society.
Access to knowledge and critical thinking, to dignified ageing, to public health care, to enjoyment of and respect for the environment is universal. So is equality of rights and opportunities in all areas, regardless of people's background, identity, gender or status. Achieving this real equality in society and in science is a great challenge that must be addressed collectively.
More than half of the population now lives in urban environments. Human activity in these places requires new relationships with their biodiversity, ecosystems and people's quality of life. It is in cities, then, that we can take action, and scientific knowledge that addresses these relationships can help.
In its first edition, with a hundred activities and 125 invited people, the Biennale reflected on how science can help solve our concerns, how to make scientific knowledge accessible and achieve citizen involvement, what dilemmas arise of the relationship between science, the market and public authorities, and how we can ensure that everything that is publicly invested in science serves progress and social transformation.
