Bio-Xeno

“Nothing is more queer than nature”
Brigitte Baptiste

Through biological and artistic practices, we will question how different microorganisms live and co-exist interacting with the environment. We will address ecological communities: how to define an ecosystem, how different communities maintain and generate themselves, why the human body is an ecosystem and not an individual. We will shift our anthropocentric vision, conditioned by the belief that humans are the measure of all things, to a worldly outlook that introduces the invisible: all surfaces are covered with life.

To show this invisible life, we will borrow from the techniques and practices of microbiology and biohacking, to generate means of visibility for the human eye. We will experiment with different culture media to make microorganisms grow. With the aid of microscopes and an atlas, we will observe, recognise and speculate on the single-celled organisms that make up the Protoctista kingdom. At the end of the workshop, we will visit the exhibition "Science Friction" together, with this new appreciation for the life that we normally do not perceive.

 

First session
October 30th / 16.00 - 20.00 / Wetlab Hangar

• Introduction to microbiology and lab safety.
• Explanation of the microbiome and concepts of ecology.
• Sterilisation and preparation of culture media and Petri dishes.
• Collection of microorganisms.

 

Second session
November 9th / 18.30 - 20.00 / CCCB

• Introduction to the world of microscopes.
• Collective recognition of species with the aid of an atlas.
• Drawing microorganisms.
• Visit to the exhibition "Science Friction".

 

This project is part of S+T+ARTS - Repairing the Present.