SPEAKERS
DIY A-Life SEMINAR : DIY BIOLOGY + ART
Nora S. Vaage (NO)
Nora S. Vaage is an art historian and interdisciplinary researcher at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities at the University of Bergen, Norway. She is in the final stage of her PhD dissertation on ethical and epistemological aspects of biotech art. Nora has lectured extensively in art theory, visual culture, and the ethics of images at the University of Bergen. She is also co-curator, with Hege Tapio, of the 2016 Article biennial in Stavanger.
Amplifying Ambiguities: Art as Fringe Biotechnology
As the bio(techno)sciences are becoming more approachable due to open source sharing of information, cheaper equipment, and standardisation of materials, an increasing number of artists, designers, and hackers use their methods for alternative purposes. What ethical issues arise with the emergence of these “fringe biotechnologists”, and how should we relate to them? In this talk, I will give examples of how some artists relate to their chosen biotechnologies, from synthetic biology to tissue culturing, and discuss the hazards and promises of potential ethical frameworks for these actors.
Gjino Šutić (CR)
Researcher, innovator, artist, educator, founder and CEO & CSO at UR Institute & Gen0 Industries.
Gjino Šutić conducts research in several fields of science, such as; biotechnology & biomedicine, electronics, robotics, computer science & IT, engineering, nanotechnology etc. with a focus in the field of bioelectronics and biorobotics.
Using DIY approach to biotechnology (biohacking), he designs and DIY manufactures necessary instruments and materials. Invented the concept of “Biotweaking” (improvement of living organisms or their components to exhibit and use their full potential) which fully defines his philosophy and work.
Since 2012. started a public work by displaying his inventions and innovations such as; SRCE, B.O.C.A., MeBUMZ etc., in a variety of scientific and art exhibitions and cultural events in Croatia and abroad. Also, started teaching as an informal educator in biotweaking areas of science.
His work combines complex electronics and biotechnology, and he often uses artistic representation for the demystification of science and for bringing it closer to ordinary citizens. In 2013, he founded and started working as CEO & CSO of non-profit citizen’s Universal Research Institute UR, where he also holds workshops, teaches and experiments. In 2015 he founded and started working as CEO & CSO of Gen0 Industries – for production and development of innovations.
Kat F Austen (UK)
Kat is an artist in residence at the Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences, University College London. She has worked with LAStheatre, The Clipperton Project and Utter! Spoken word, among others. She has exhibited widely, including at Museo Diego Rivera, Mexico City, Kulurbraueri, Berlin, Kreuzberg Pavillion, Berlin, The Crystal, London, Schwartz Gallery, London, Regenerate Gallery, London and Williams Art, Cambridge, among others. She has presented on interdisciplinary internationally and has run artistic workshops in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK. She is Head of Research and Design at social enterprise iilab, leading the Open Droplet water sensor project, which was recently included on the Serpentine Gallery’s extinct.ly platform. With this project, she is focussing on co-design, physically evocative representations of data and community stewardship of water. Kat holds a PhD in chemistry from UCL and worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge. Her writing has appeared in two book chapters, New Scientist, Nature, The Ecologist and The Guardian, and she consults widely on the intersection of science, art and technology, including as a Futureshaper for Forum for the Future, for the European Commission and UK water regulator Ofwat.
The environment is Kat’s passion, and her interest is largely held by finding intellectual, experiential and sensorial ways of understanding existence in all its complexity. Her work explores the interplay between acts at different levels – individual, collective, communal, municipal, state, national, international – in the context of a global, digitally-enabled society. The aesthetics in her artworks treads the line between naive and polished, messy and sleek, humorous and disjointed. For instance, she drowned a lot of tiny people in a bath to make a point about social media. Kat has a PADI open water diving license and also licence to be crew on the yacht.
Cristian Delgado (MX)
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Molecular and synthethic biologist, from Faculty of Sciences UNAM CU, works on posibilities of applying biological aspects to technology, from biomimetics to bionanotechnology, also he worked on DIYBIO developing tools from synthethic biology, including collaboration with interdisciplinary projects like ARTE+CIENCIA, BIOSCENICA, PDI UNAM, UNESCO, ICTP, 3DMJMAKERS among others, with a special emphasis on art and science, with works awarded by MIT, UNAM, and others.
Christian E. Mong (NO)
Christian E. Mong is an ecological advisor for urban development, from overarching urban and landscape planning right down to planning and design of green space and gardens. I can also perform landscape analysis, mapping biological values and assist as approved ecologist in environmental certification (BREEAM NOR).
Ben Freeth (UK)
Ben Freeth is an artist, musician, researcher and educator based in the North East of England who works, exhibits, and publishes internationally. His current practice uses various types of data (both real time and logged including location, environmental, and biological) as a medium for creative expression. He works with themes including response to place and internal physical state within the context of the city, response to archival collections, collective experience and data materialities.
Through the application of curiosity driven exploration and digital tools, including custom electronics, sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, data loggers, custom software, lidar scanners and 3D printers, these responses take the form of data sonifications, prototypes, workshops, installations, instruments, wearables, networked musical performances and 3D visualisations.
Ben teaches physical computing for creative application on the Creative Practice Masters Course at Newcastle University.
His research focuses on workshop based explorations of data, digital technological production, philosophical investigations of technology, an aesthetic contextualization of audience and collective experience, historical accounts of art and technology, and critical reflections on contemporary digital art. Recent work has been published at Designing Interactive Systems 2014, Vancouver, Canada.
He also runs Unpitch at Culture Lab, Newcastle University a series of on going events showcasing experimental music and sound art involving custom software and electronics.
Past work has included creating digital musical instruments for Microsoft Research Cambridge with their open source microcontroller platform .NET Gadgeteer, working as a Research Associate with Digital Interaction, Computing Science, Newcastle University, and producing digital art commissions for Durham Brass Festival, Newcastle Council Arts Development Team and Digital City, Middlesbrough.
Hege Tapio (NO)
Hege Tapio is an artist, curator, art consultant, CEO and Managing director of i/o/lab Senter for Framtidskunst based in Stavanger, Norway. Tapio has established and curated Article biennial – a festival for the electronic and unstable art, launched in 2006/2008/2010/2012/2015 and soon to come again in 2016. Tapio has for years cultured a special interest in the field Bioart. She helped to organize the first Nordic Master Class in Bioart in cooperation with SymbioticA and Stavanger University in 2008. With a kitchen bench DIY attitude, background in fine art photography and through artistic practice she has been inspired to how apparatuses and new technology opens to renewed interpretation, creative misuse and critical thinking. Tapio has produced the first public electronic art installation in Stavanger, consisting of a double sided handmade LED matrix.
www.iolab.no
www.article.no
Abstract
i/o/lab will be presenting some experiences and issues relating to art involved with biotechnology. The presentation will showcase some of the artists and projects i/o/lab has been involved collaborating with mainly for the Article biennial over the years. The cases will assess reflections to how art can make use of open source knowledge and facilities, DIY approach and collaborations with scientists for their artistic research, also how art may emphasize feelings of uneasyness and creating new layers and reflections of synthetic technology.
Rasa and Raitis Smite (LV)
Rasa Smite is the co-founder of Riga internet radio OZONE (1997). She is editor of the publication on new media culture and net audio – The Acoustic.Space (since 1998) and co-founder of the international net.broadcasters network and mailing list XCHANGE (1997), which received an Award of Distinction in the PRIX Ars Electronica ’98, Linz, Austria.
Rasa Smite is one of initiators and organiser of the Acoustic Space Lab – international symposium on sound art, radio waves and satellite technologies, which took place in Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center in Irbene, Latvia. She is involved in various European media culture initiatives. E-LAB is a co-founder of the ECB – European Cultural Backbone, the coalition of European media art centres. Since 1999 she is also actively involved in developing cultural exchange and networks in the field of new media culture within the Baltic Sea and North-East European regions. She is co-initiator and co-founder of the Baltic/Nordic media art network – NICE [Network Interface for Cultural Exchange], co-ordinator of the Baltic Sea Media Space Workshop during the Temporary Media Lab project, Kiasma Museum, Helsinki (1999), [NICE] Network meeting in Riga (2000) and organiser of the [NICE] Training programme in New Media Cultural Management in Riga (2001).
Rasa Smite (together with Raitis Smits and Jaanis Garancs) are the initiators and founders of the Electronic arts and media centre E-LAB (1996) and The Center for New Media Culture RIXC (2000) in Riga. E-LAB (now RIXC) is the organiser of the annual international new media culture festivals “Art+Communication” in Riga (since 1996).
Raitis Smits is artist, curator and innovator in science and emerging media technologies and founder of RIXC – a Riga based artist collective and center for new media culture (http://rixc.org), curator of Art+Communication festivals, and co-editor of Acoustic Space – a peer-reviewed journal.
Raitis Smits also lecture at universities, conferences and festivals in Latvia and Europe on contemporary media art theories and practices. Raitis Smits is an Assistant Professor at the Latvian Academy of Arts, and he will defend his PhD thesis on “New Media Art. The problematics of preservation and representation” in March 2015.
Robertina Šebjanič (SL)
Robertina Šebjanič (SI) is a Ljubljana-based intermedia artist. Her art practice evolves around the fields of humanist and natural sciences. For several years her research focus has been oriented towards the field of bio-art, living systems, AV performances, noise/sound art, installations and interactive ambiental responsive immersive environments.The context for her ideas and concepts is often realized in collaboration with other authors, which is why her works embody interdisciplinarity and informal integration. She is a member of the HackteriaLab network and Theremidi Orchestra. She studied at the Famul Stuart School of Applied Arts and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana (SI), as well as at the Valand School of Fine Arts in Gothenburg (SE).
Robertina is internationally exhibited artist. She did performed /presented / exhibited at solo and group exhibitions as well as in galleries, biennials, triennials and festivals to name few:
Le Cube / Decalab_Paris, Ars electronica – Ms Wissenschaft and Stadtwerkstatt_Linz, Touch me festival by Kontajner at Klovičevi dvori_Zagreb, Eyebeam & CT-SWaM_New York, Rencontres at Bandits-Mages_Bourgers, PORTIZMIR#3 -Triennale of contemporary art_ Izmir, AMRO festival_ Linz, Kiblix festival_Maribor, Gallery Kapelica_Ljubljana… Web page: http://robertina.net/
Margrét Elísabet Ólafsdóttir (IC)
PhD in aesthetics and art theory from the Université Paris 1 in 2013. Her research focuses on the impact of digital media and technology on visual art in Iceland. Parallel to her research she co-founded Lorna, association of electronic arts and Lorna Lab an interdisciplinary platform of art, science and theory.
