DIGITAL LIBRARY
INTERACTIVE GENERATIVE ART IN STEAM EDUCATION: BOOSTING CREATIVITY IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY TALENTS
1 Italian Association for Gifted and Talented Students (ITALY)
2 University of Genoa (ITALY)
3 Artistic Collaboration and Creative Education (ITALY)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN26 Proceedings
Publication year: 2026
Article: 1579
ISBN: 978-84-09-88444-5
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2026.1579
Conference name: 18th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 29 June-1 July, 2026
Location: Palma, Spain
Abstract:
Generative art offers a powerful bridge between scientific thinking, computational creativity, and artistic expression. Within the STEAMSMART educational activities, students design and implement interactive generative visual systems that respond dynamically to human interaction and environmental conditions, creating a strongly multidisciplinary learning environment that integrates science, technology, art, and design.

The installations combine real-time graphics, algorithmic visual generation, and interactive sensing technologies. Visual outputs can respond to webcam-based motion detection, environmental sensors, sound input, and voice interaction, creating dynamic audiovisual experiences controlled by participants and surrounding conditions.

The systems can be deployed on low-cost computing platforms such as Raspberry Pi or standard laptops, enabling flexible installations in educational spaces or public outreach events. These computational cores are integrated into reconfigurable bases or totem-like structures, often decorated or constructed by the students themselves using painting techniques, natural elements such as branches or stones, and 3D-printed sculptural components in collaboration with artists.

This approach highlights the multidisciplinary nature of STEAM education and provides an environment particularly suitable for gifted and talented students, where scientific reasoning, computational thinking, and artistic creativity can develop simultaneously. By integrating coding, digital media, and physical installation design, generative art becomes a powerful tool to stimulate creativity, experimentation, and collaborative exploration, transforming programming and mathematics into tangible and expressive learning experiences.
Keywords:
Interactive Generative Art, STEAM Education, Creativity in Education, Multidisciplinary Learning, Experiential Learning, Creative Coding, Interactive Systems, Secondary Education.