News Stories
Interview with bio-artist, Dr Ionat Zurr:
"Ecology of Parts"
Dear All,
Dr. Ionat Zurr, a biologist and artist from Australia will be visiting
InStem from Sept 13 for 2 weeks.
She will give a talk on Monday Sept 13 at 11.30 am in LH1.
Do come-all are welcome!
This is a really interesting and novel engagement between science and art.
The title and abstract are below, and here are links to her projects:
www.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au
www.tcaproject.org
Best wishes,
Jyotsna
The Ecology of Parts: the use of cells and tissues for artistic expression
Ionat Zurr, PhD
For the last decade The Tissue Culture & Art Project (TC&A) explored the
use of tissue technologies as a medium for artistic expression. We are
investigating our relationships with the different gradients of life
through the construction/growth of a new class of object/being - that of
the Semi-Living. These are parts of complex organisms which are sustained
alive outside of the body and coerced to grow in predetermined shapes.
These evocative objects are a tangible example that brings into question
deep rooted perceptions of life and identity, concept of self, and the
position of the human in regard to other living beings and the
environment.
The research is conducted in SymbioticA, a unique artistic laboratory
dedicated to the research, learning, critique and hands-on engagement of
the life sciences. It is the first research laboratory of its kind in the
world, in that it enables artists to engage in wet biology practices in a
biological science department.
Finally, my visit to InStem, funded by the Australian International
Science Linkages –Humanities and Creative Arts Programme (ISL-HCA), aim to
continue our research into the use of tissue engineered muscle as
actuators (linear motors) from technical and conceptual perspectives. In
a way we are reversing the logic of the machine imitating a life-like
behavior by making partially living tissue constructs into machines like.
This attempt is done to further engage and critique the on-going
application of engineering logic into life and the ontologies,
epistemologies as well as deeply ethical perplexes this phenomenon raises,
while tying it up with historical and philosophical notions about movement
and life.
--
Prof. Jyotsna Dhawan
Dear All,
Dr. Ionat Zurr, a biologist and artist from Australia will be visiting
InStem from Sept 13 for 2 weeks.
She will give a talk on Monday Sept 13 at 11.30 am in LH1.
Do come-all are welcome!
This is a really interesting and novel engagement between science and art.
The title and abstract are below, and here are links to her projects:
www.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au
www.tcaproject.org
Best wishes,
Jyotsna
The Ecology of Parts: the use of cells and tissues for artistic expression
Ionat Zurr, PhD
For the last decade The Tissue Culture & Art Project (TC&A) explored the
use of tissue technologies as a medium for artistic expression. We are
investigating our relationships with the different gradients of life
through the construction/growth of a new class of object/being - that of
the Semi-Living. These are parts of complex organisms which are sustained
alive outside of the body and coerced to grow in predetermined shapes.
These evocative objects are a tangible example that brings into question
deep rooted perceptions of life and identity, concept of self, and the
position of the human in regard to other living beings and the
environment.
The research is conducted in SymbioticA, a unique artistic laboratory
dedicated to the research, learning, critique and hands-on engagement of
the life sciences. It is the first research laboratory of its kind in the
world, in that it enables artists to engage in wet biology practices in a
biological science department.
Finally, my visit to InStem, funded by the Australian International
Science Linkages –Humanities and Creative Arts Programme (ISL-HCA), aim to
continue our research into the use of tissue engineered muscle as
actuators (linear motors) from technical and conceptual perspectives. In
a way we are reversing the logic of the machine imitating a life-like
behavior by making partially living tissue constructs into machines like.
This attempt is done to further engage and critique the on-going
application of engineering logic into life and the ontologies,
epistemologies as well as deeply ethical perplexes this phenomenon raises,
while tying it up with historical and philosophical notions about movement
and life.
--
Prof. Jyotsna Dhawan
