[spectre] Biotech Art Workshop, London

[The Arts Catalyst]

Call for Proposals

to join

The Arts Catalyst and SymbioticA's
BIOTECH ART WORKSHOP

Workshop: Mon 28th March - Fri 1st April 2005
Public discussion: Saturday 2nd April 2005
Old Operating Theatre, 9a St Thomas Street, London SE1, UK

Contemporary developments in life sciences are having a profound effect on
society, its values, belief systems and treatments of individuals, groups
and the environment. The interaction of art, science, industry and society
is increasingly recognised as an essential avenue for innovation and
invention, and as a way to explore, envision and critique possible futures.

Continuing its interest in artists’ practical and political engagement with
biotechnology, The Arts Catalyst is organising an intensive 5 day workshop
for artists. It will be led by artist Oron Catts and Gary Cass of
SymbioticA: The Art & Science Collaborative Studio, School of Anatomy &
Human Biology, The University of Western Australia.

The workshop is a hands-on exploration of biological technologies and issues
stemming from their use, serves as a theoretical and practical introduction
to the creation of biotech art and is aimed at educating artists from the UK
and Europe in issues of biotechnology and genomics. The workshop will teach
hands on engagement with these technologies in order to be able to carry out
and critique manipulation of living systems from an informed practical
perspective. The practical components include DNA extraction and
fingerprinting, genetic engineering, selective breeding, plant and animal
tissue culture and basic tissue engineering techniques.

The workshop will present work of contemporary artists dealing with
biotechnology. Scientists will be involved discussing ethical issues raised
by artists’ work in this area and enabling fieldtrips to laboratories. At
the end of the week, the ideas explored in the workshop will be opened out
with a public discussion event.


Attendance and Conditions

Attendance at the workshop will be by selection through open submission or
by invitation. The selection will be made by Nicola Triscott and Rob La
Frenais from The Arts Catalyst and Oron Catts from SymbioticA.

There is no cost to selected participants to attend the workshop, but
accommodation, travel and other expenses will not be covered.

If you would like to attend the workshop, please send a short email to
info at artscatalyst.org, giving a short artistic statement and why you want to
join the workshop, how it will benefit your work.  Please attach cv and
images (1MB MAXIMUM) and/or give urls to examples of work.

The Arts Catalyst believes that the effects of the workshop will be felt in
the long-term, as the artists, having learned the technology, will start
working on their own biotech projects, which the Arts Catalyst may choose to
commission or assist to be produced, as well as promote nationally and
internationally.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS:  11th February 2005

Provisional Workshop Programme

Day 1
9-10am: Registration and welcome
10-11am: Lab Safety Lecture
11:30am-1pm: DNA Extraction - DIY with off-the-shelf items and science lab
versions DNA fingerprinting/Gel preparation/Smarties Gels
2- 5pm: Looking at the gels, staining gels. PGLO transformation (inserting
GFP genes to bacteria, e-coli K12)

Day 2
10-11am: Ethics in biological research and in Bioart: Discussion
11:30-1pm: Bacteria plating from body and environment. Checking PGLO
2- 5pm: Fungi work. (culture, slide prep etc.)

Day 3
10-11am: Selective breeding/plant manipulations
11:30am-1pm: Discussion, ideas and possible projects 2-5pm: Plant Tissue
Culture

Day 4
10-11am: Tissue Culture, Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Talk
11:30am-1pm: Creating 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering
2-5pm: Mammalian, fish and amphibians tissue culture and tissue engineering
practicals

Day 5
Field day: Visiting scientific research institution/s

Day 6
Public discussion event which we hope workshop participants will attend

The Arts Catalyst is an arts and research organisation specialising in
creative, cultural and tactical investigations of science, space and related
technologies. Since 1993, the Arts Catalyst has worked nationally and
internationally to promote understanding and cooperation between the arts
and sciences and to extend the practice of artists working in these areas.

SymbioticA is a research laboratory dedicated to the exploration from an
artistic perspective of scientific knowledge in general and biological
techniques in particular. SymbioticA is the first research laboratory of its
kind, in that it enables artists to engage in wet biology practices in a
biological science department.