Transition to 8: Bridging social issues, tech and contemporary art was an innovative research project, acting as the first phase of the Transition to 8 project, implemented by a diverse consortium consisting of the Laboratory of Qualitative Research in Psychology and Psychosocial Well-Being of the Psychology Department (University of Athens), the Research Centre Athena, and the cultural production and management company MENTOR. This phase of the Transition to 8 project, was more research-oriented in nature and focused on developing and piloting a methodology that enables data-driven contemporary artistic creation.

The project’s main objective was to connect the city’s prominent social issues with contemporary art. Analysis of Eleusis’s social climate identified three key social phenomena, environmental pollution, labour, and the refugee/immigrant issue, which formed the three axes of the project.

Throughout the project, experts recorded the emotional and physical reactions of Eleusinians to these issues, with the aim of transforming them into raw materials for artistic creation. The project culminated in a large-scale multimedia festival, giving back to the community its (heart)beat.