The XGA 2023

The first XSCAPE General Assembly

María Silva-Gago & Felipe Criado-Boado

06/06/2023

General Assembly Material Minds Lab XSCAPE

May was an important month for the INCIPIT Xscape team. Not only because we launched the Material Minds Laboratory, but also because all project members (or almost all of them) gathered in the same place for the first time. Although nowadays we have become accustomed to interacting and working remotely, in some cases being at the same place at the same time proves to be very useful. The purpose of this meeting, called XSCAPE General Assembly (acronym XGA), was mainly to get to know each other as a team, as we are spread over five countries and two different continents. It was key to establish a common language to address the various issues that concern the entire team and to consolidate and strengthen the synergies between the different teams.

Moreover, since one of the pillars of the project is its communication and dissemination, two journalists were present throughout the meeting. These guests also got the opportunity to get to know the INCIPIT up and close.

During an intense week, we shared common interests and problems that we have encountered so far, as well as debates on the more theoretical part of the project alongside practical and methodological issues. There were also opportunities for mere dialogue and, of course, a couple of beers.

The first day of this Assembly was devoted to individual presentations on each person's background, their role in the project and the scientific expectations of the project. Each principal investigator also gave a short presentation on the history and theoretical background of the project. At the end of the day, an experiment was carried out in the new laboratory facilities as an example. The day ended with further informal presentations, this time accompanied by food and drinks.

The next day focused on the results of the experimental studies carried out by the different teams. Specifically, the simulation studies carried out by the Sussex group were presented, as well as the first common experiment carried out both at the Halle Museum and in Santiago de Compostela. The next steps in the planning of future experiments, publications and concrete studies, such as rock art, the perception of fractures in ceramics or active inference studies, were also discussed. All this facilitated the understanding of the problems that have been encountered on the way, providing common solutions or the search for new approaches that allow the optimal development of all the studies of the team as a whole. It also laid the foundations for standardising the experimental processes, their statistical analysis, the way of presenting results and archiving information, as well as other formal and administrative matters.

On Thursday, it was time to personally meet the XSCAPE Ethics Board (XEB), the project's ethical advisory committee. At this point, the INCIPIT team presented the work carried out in terms of ethics and good practice protocols, in order to obtain the favourable report (from both the ERC and CSIC ethics panels) necessary for the development of the experimental studies. The XEB will provide advice for future experiments in other continents and societies, which will require specific ethical approvals.

This was followed by a press conference to officially launch the project. This event was well attended by the media and served as a prelude to the XPECTÁCULO, a scientific dissemination event with the participation of researchers Felipe Criado, Johannes Müller, Jordi Camí, Luís Martínez and the magician Miguel Ángel Gea. Andy Clark intervened remotely since he could not attend the meeting. It sold out the Salón Teatro de Santiago de Compostela, with more than 250 people in attendance. The XPECTÁCULO made it possible to explain a small part of our cognitive process, exemplified through magic and optical illusions, and festively conclude the main part of the Assembly (another article on this will be published on the INCIPIT website in the near future). Finally, as landscapes and the perceptual reactions they cause are a major research interest within the project, the week ended with a day in the countryside. We visited emblematic places such as the fortified settlement of Baroña, the burial mounds of the Serra do Barbanza and the petroglyphs of A Gurita.

In short, the first XGeneral Assambly was a success and achieved its goals. We hope that it will be the first step in forming the Xscape Community, where anyone can participate!

The XGA 2023

The first XSCAPE General Assembly

María Silva-Gago & Felipe Criado-Boado
06/06/2023
General Assembly Material Minds Lab XSCAPE

May was an important month for the INCIPIT Xscape team. Not only because we launched the Material Minds Laboratory, but also because all project members (or almost all of them) gathered in the same place for the first time. Although nowadays we have become accustomed to interacting and working remotely, in some cases being at the same place at the same time proves to be very useful. The purpose of this meeting, called XSCAPE General Assembly (acronym XGA), was mainly to get to know each other as a team, as we are spread over five countries and two different continents. It was key to establish a common language to address the various issues that concern the entire team and to consolidate and strengthen the synergies between the different teams.

Moreover, since one of the pillars of the project is its communication and dissemination, two journalists were present throughout the meeting. These guests also got the opportunity to get to know the INCIPIT up and close.

During an intense week, we shared common interests and problems that we have encountered so far, as well as debates on the more theoretical part of the project alongside practical and methodological issues. There were also opportunities for mere dialogue and, of course, a couple of beers.

The first day of this Assembly was devoted to individual presentations on each person's background, their role in the project and the scientific expectations of the project. Each principal investigator also gave a short presentation on the history and theoretical background of the project. At the end of the day, an experiment was carried out in the new laboratory facilities as an example. The day ended with further informal presentations, this time accompanied by food and drinks.

The next day focused on the results of the experimental studies carried out by the different teams. Specifically, the simulation studies carried out by the Sussex group were presented, as well as the first common experiment carried out both at the Halle Museum and in Santiago de Compostela. The next steps in the planning of future experiments, publications and concrete studies, such as rock art, the perception of fractures in ceramics or active inference studies, were also discussed. All this facilitated the understanding of the problems that have been encountered on the way, providing common solutions or the search for new approaches that allow the optimal development of all the studies of the team as a whole. It also laid the foundations for standardising the experimental processes, their statistical analysis, the way of presenting results and archiving information, as well as other formal and administrative matters.

On Thursday, it was time to personally meet the XSCAPE Ethics Board (XEB), the project's ethical advisory committee. At this point, the INCIPIT team presented the work carried out in terms of ethics and good practice protocols, in order to obtain the favourable report (from both the ERC and CSIC ethics panels) necessary for the development of the experimental studies. The XEB will provide advice for future experiments in other continents and societies, which will require specific ethical approvals.

This was followed by a press conference to officially launch the project. This event was well attended by the media and served as a prelude to the XPECTÁCULO, a scientific dissemination event with the participation of researchers Felipe Criado, Johannes Müller, Jordi Camí, Luís Martínez and the magician Miguel Ángel Gea. Andy Clark intervened remotely since he could not attend the meeting. It sold out the Salón Teatro de Santiago de Compostela, with more than 250 people in attendance. The XPECTÁCULO made it possible to explain a small part of our cognitive process, exemplified through magic and optical illusions, and festively conclude the main part of the Assembly (another article on this will be published on the INCIPIT website in the near future). Finally, as landscapes and the perceptual reactions they cause are a major research interest within the project, the week ended with a day in the countryside. We visited emblematic places such as the fortified settlement of Baroña, the burial mounds of the Serra do Barbanza and the petroglyphs of A Gurita.

In short, the first XGeneral Assambly was a success and achieved its goals. We hope that it will be the first step in forming the Xscape Community, where anyone can participate!