SciArt

10% Human

 In May 2018 I will be installing work for the Science Rendezvous, Toronto!
An iteration of Wonderlandish.
This version of Wonderlandish will be comprised of glass sculptures depicting Human interactions with various flora and fauna microbiota. Entering into Wonderlandish visitors will see artistic renderings of scientific data depicting life-size versions of the organisms mentioned above. A live, VR component will allow visitors to interact with microbiota on display.

6269249676_9a0d2fb4c3_o

Spirillum Bacteria Cells of a marine spirillum bacteria stained with Cyber Green and viewed at 1,000x magnification under a light microscope. Courtesy of http://www.biology101.org

Users are depicted as their microbial self

Users interact with other microbial organisms; plant, animal, air pollution, etc.

We are literally writhing with microbes. The air is full of microbes- good and bad.

The concept is to bring the invisible into view. What we mediate or cannot see and what we cannot hear.

I imagine the experience as very organic.   All of it makes me consider how connected we are with our environment yet, how human beings* seemingly strive to distance themselves from this reality. So much so that we are now in peril of destroying the shared environment.

I conjecture that since we are apparently *only 10% human (what does that even mean?) That we are transferring and transforming microbial clouds. Perhaps held together by frequencies on a sub atomic level, in order to experience this existence (life) the Human aspect has chosen to mediate these layers of reality…?

“Image courtesy of the Lewis Lab at Northeastern University. Image created by Anthony D’Onofrio, William H. Fowle, Eric J. Stewart and Kim Lewis.”

I am working with artist/musician, Andrei Gravelle. Senior technical manager of Tiff Bell Lightbox.

Game developer, Chris Tihor of Ironic Iconic Studios 

and various scientists towards visual representations of various microbiota.

4482210139_c0ae14b28a_o

A natural community of bacteria growing on a single grain of sand. The sand was collected from intertidal sediment on a beach near Boston, MA in September 2008 and imaged using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).  “Image courtesy of the Lewis Lab at Northeastern University. Image created by Anthony D’Onofrio, William H. Fowle, Eric J. Stewart & Kim Lewis.”

 

 

Creative Explorations of the Microscopic

invite-BioChrome

From the complex forms of the cell to the colonies created by the microbiota; from the undetectable chemical reactions activated by enzymes and natural processes to the environmental information captured through data visualization, the five artists presenting tonight have developed a range of very diverse practices all inspired by the invisible, the undetectable and the microscopic.

We invite you to an evening of artist talks and discussion on the creative process of exploring the microscopic and using living organisms in art, on its potentials and implication for science and its popular dissemination, as well as on its ethics.

with:
Robyn Crouch
Mellissa Fisher
Julia Krolik
Shavon Madden
Tosca Teran

Friday, Feb 9, 2018
6:00-8:00 pm
The Fields Institute
222 College Street, rm 230 – Toronto, ON

The Event will be followed by workshops with: 
Mellissa Fisher, Shavon Madden and Julia Krolik
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018
11:00am-5:00pm
at Hacklab
1266 Queen St West, Toronto
Workshops are FREE to the public & require you to RSVP your attendance, here

Workshops include:

Design My Microbiome

Artist Mellissa Fisher invites participants to mould parts of her body in agar to create their own microbial version of her, alongside producing their own microbial portrait with painting techniques.

Cooking with the Invasive

Artist Shavon Madden invites participants to discuss invasive species like garlic mustard and cook invasive species whilst exploring, do species which we define and brand as invasive simply have no benefits?

Intoduction to Biological Staining

Artist & Scientist Julia Krolik invites participants to learn about 3 different types of biological staining and have a chance to try staining procedures.

Bios:

Mellissa Fisher
Mellissa Fisher is a British Bio Artist based in Kent. Her practice explores the invisible world on our skin by using living organisms and by creating sculptures made with agar to show the public what the surface of our skin really looks like. She is best known for her work with bacteria and works extensively with collaborators in microbiology and immunology. She has exhibited an installation “Microbial Me” with Professor Mark Clements and Dr Richard Harvey at The Eden Project for their permanent exhibition “The Invisible You: The Human Microbiome”.The installation included a living portrait in bacteria of the artists face as well as a time-lapse film of the sculpture growing.

Julia Krolik
Julia Krolik is a creative director, entrepreneur, scientist and award-winning artist. Her diverse background enables a rare cross-disciplinary empathy, and she continuously advocates for both art and science through several initiatives. Julia is the founder of Art the Science, a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating artist residencies in scientific research laboratories to foster Canadian science-art culture and expand scientific knowledge communication to benefit the public. Through her consulting agency Pixels and Plans, Julia works with private and public organizations, helping them with strategy, data visualization and knowledge mobilization, often utilizing creative technology and skills-transfer workshops.

Shavon Madden
Shavon Madden is a Brampton based artist, specializing in sculptural, performance and installation based work exploring the social injustices inflicted on the environment and its creatures. Her work focuses on challenging social-environmental and political ethics, through the embodied experience and feelings of self. She graduated from the University of Toronto Specializing in Art and Art History, along with studies in Environmental Science and will be on her way to Edinburgh for her MFA. Shavon has had works shown at Shelly Peterson, the Burlington Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, among many others. Website: http://www.greenheartartistry.com

 

https_proxyThe ArtSci Salon

Organizer of From Cell to Canvas: Workshop

ArtSci Salon consists of a series of forums and presentations with a performative component facilitating discussion and cross-pollination between science, technology and the arts. ArtSci Salon responds to the recent expansion in the GTA of a community of scientists and interdisciplinary/media artists, increasingly seeking collaborations across fields to successfully accomplish their research projects and inquiries.