Algae are remarkable creatures capable of converting the power of the sun into life. No wonder that they are quickly becoming one of the most favorite workhorses in biotech industry. However, in this DITBio workshop we will take a more personal approach. What use could algae factories have in your home? And how can we relate ourselves to these micro-plants?
This Do It Together Bio workshop will investigate what future biotech has in store for us in a hands-on way: we will start prototyping a bioreactor. Guided by a scientist (María Boto Ordoñez) and an artist (Špela Petrič), we will demystify and democratize the world of bio-engineering. No prior knowledge of biotech is required to take part.
Entrance fee is € 7,50, which includes one drink. You can pay at the door (PIN payments accepted).
In February 2015, the first course of Waag's 'BioHack Academy: Biofactory' will start. The hands-on part of this workshop will include a demo and we will co-develop some of the blueprints for this course for you to get a hint of what's in store and to decide whether you would like to register for the Academy.
Špela Petrič is one of the winners of this year's Bio Art & Design Award and recently started an artists residency in Amsterdam. Her work 'Humalga' is a proposal that involves creating a trans-species, the humalga, by genetically hybridizing and modifying the human and alga in such a way that both organisms appear as morphologically distinct living entities, which xenogenetically alternate as sexual (human) and asexual (algal) generations.
Program
18:00 - 19:00 Bring your own dinner
19:00 - 19:30 Introduction by María Boto Ordoñez presenting her prototype bioreactor containing colorshifting algae
19:30 - 20:30 Hands-on workshop
20:30 - 21:00 Špela Petrič - Humalga
21:00 - 21:15 Pieter van Boheemen - BioHack Academy
21:15 - 22:00 Algae tinkering continues
About María Boto Ordoñez
Maria is specialized in microbology and nutrition science and got a PhD at the University of Barcelona. In the Open Wetlab she frequently supports users to realize their projects, such as the Living Pixel project. Currently she is working on directed xenobiotic evolution bioreactor experiments.
About Špela Petrič
Špela Petrič artistic practice combines natural sciences, new media and performance. She is interested in all aspects of anthropocentrism; the reconstruction and reappropriation of scientific methodology in the context of cultural phenomena; living systems in connection to inanimate systems manifesting life-like properties; and terRabiology, an ontological view of the evolution and terraformative process on Earth. She extends her artistic research with art/sci workshops devoted to informing and sensitizing the interested public, particularly younger generations. She is a member of Hackteria and recently started a residency at Waag, Vrije Universiteit and Mediamatic.
About Pieter van Boheemen
Pieter works for Waag's Open Wetlab laboratory for creative biotechnology. He has taught numerous Do It Together Bio workshops to designers, artists, scientists, engineers and hackers of all age groups on the subject of biohacking, biodesign and bio informatics. In the Open Wetlab he turns the experience from his masters degree in Life Science & Technology of the Delft University of Technology into hands-on activities that are easy to understand by anyone. Pieter is a frequent user of Open Source hardware and creator of the open source RWXBioFuge.
