VSM

Vital Signs Matrix (VSM) Prompt Questions

The Vital Signs Matrix (VSM) is a tool designed to help artists and practitioners reflect on the broader impacts of their eco-social projects. It aligns with the principles of Earth Care, Social Care, and Fair Share, guiding users to evaluate their work across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. 

By breaking down each aspect into actionable categories, the VSM encourages a holistic understanding of the project’s outcomes, including its contributions to local knowledge, cultural re-situating, and strategic interventions. This framework supports meaningful reflection, helping to capture not only tangible outcomes but also the less visible ripple effects of creative interventions.

Use these prompt questions to help you think about how you might fill in the boxes (each indicator).  Remember, these are not survey questions and there is no right or wrong answer, we are looking for details to capture the added value of your project. 

Building a Micro-Ecology:

• From an Earth Care Perspective:
  • What connections did you observe between participants and the local ecosystem?
  • Did the project encourage sustainability practices or environmental responsibility?
• From a Social Care Perspective:
  • How did the project foster a sense of community among participants?
  • Were there any meaningful exchanges or collaborations between different groups or generations? If yes, can you say more?
• From a Fair Share (Value) Perspective:
• Was there any resource sharing that emerged during the project?
• How might the community formations initiated by the project create lasting value? 

This does NOT have to be obvious socio-economic value, e.g. using only local resources adds money to the local economy, it could be the knowledge / expertise in the project would be beyond the community’s reach e.g. research topics or developing a new way of doing something. 

Strategic Intervention Tactics:

• From an Earth Care Perspective:
  • How did the project engage with ecological policies or frameworks, such as ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030’,  Nature Restoration Law,  European Climate Law Circular economy action plan or other national / local policies
  • What specific ecological issues did the project address or highlight through its activities?
  • Could your project be a case study for integrating artistic / technological methodologies into environmental policy making and advocacy.
• From a Social Care Perspective:
  • Were there any ways in which the project created platforms for community voices to be heard and valued? Are there any follow on ways these will be amplified by you or others e.g. the community table or the participants themselves 
  • How / did the project contribute to building social cohesion or empathy within the community?
• From a Fair Share (Value) Perspective:
  • How did the project showcase or leverage equitable sharing of resources and opportunities?
  • Were there any economic or social equity outcomes that emerged from the project’s strategic interventions? E.g. knowledge for hosts or others involved in the project that they don’t have to recreate or gather?
• How might the community formations initiated by the project create lasting value? 

This does NOT have to be obvious socio-economic value e.g. it could be new collaborations developing new projects or working together to share knowledge, skills and resources)

Reseeding Local Knowledge

• From an Earth Care Perspective:
  • In considering, this indicator, think about any local and / or ecological knowledge or practices that were shared or documented during the project e.g. intergenerational, locals’ different perspectives e.g. landowners / farmers etc – and use this to fill in this aspect of the VSM. 
  • Do you know if the project encouraged any ongoing sustainable environmental practices within the community?
• From a Social Care Perspective:
  • Did, and if so how did  the project bridge generational or cultural divides to share local knowledge?
  • What role did participants play in contributing to the ecological conversation or local narratives linked to the region or Natura 2000, or any other policies?
• From a Fair Share (Value) Perspective:
• How might the local knowledge shared or the interactions / outcomes be made accessible or useful to broader communities through the project?
• Did any opportunities or ideas for equitable collaboration emerge from the sharing of local knowledge?

Re-Situating Arts, Design and Culture

• From an Earth Care Perspective:
  • How did the project use art to connect participants with environmental themes or challenges?
  • What ecological insights or solutions emerged from the artistic interventions?
• From a Social Care Perspective:
  • How did the project encourage participants to rethink their relationship with society and the environment through art?
  • In what ways did artistic practices foster empathy, dialogue, or understanding within the community?
• From a Fair Share (Value) Perspective:
  • How did the project contribute to the economic or social value of art in addressing eco-social issues?
  • What new platforms or opportunities for equitable cultural exchange did the project create / or could you see being created – think short, medium and long-term?