Bioart borrows from the methods of science and it can make invisible and unknown visible with the means of artistic expression. Today, bio art is maybe more relevant than ever – it doesn’t provide solutions but prompts critical questions such as: what is life, or how can we collaborate with non-human organisms.
‘We are living in a time of crises, which we as human beings have caused. Mono-discipline cultures don't predict the scale and speed of systemic crises. We did not ask the right questions earlier as we have ended up in this situation. This is why we need to challenge disciplinary boundaries and take advantage of art and science asking critical questions, revealing unexpected perspectives and offering us to explore possibilities while collaborating with nature and more-than-human-worlds,’ explains Bilge Hasdemir who has curated the exhibition.
While life as a raw material is being manipulated, transformed, disassembled, engineered, simulated and/or re-designed, the conception of life is being expanded. This reminds us of how radical the uncertainty of ontological status can be – where exactly does the one end and the other begin?
The exhibitionOutré: Encounters with non/living things showcases works from invited projects which were created fully or in part at the open Biofilia Lab of Aalto University launched in 2012. Biofilia acts as a fertile ground for research and experiment, in-situ prototyping, and creative work where students, artists and researchers alike can explore the possibilities of biotechnology in dialogue with (citizen-) scientists and researchers from a range of fields.
The hand-painted solar cells constitute a functional Baroa solar-panel-painting interpreting the colours and patterns J. M. William Turner’s famous Snow-Storm. Aamo artscience group is composed of artist Bartaku (School of Arts, Design and Architecture), and scientists Janne Halme (School of Science), Paulo Pinho (School of Electrical Engineering) and Merja Penttilä (School of Chemical Engineering and VTT) working together since 2017.
Outré: Encounters with non/living things
November 19, 2020– December 07, 2020
V1 & V2 Galleries, Otaniementie 14
Mon–Fri: 09:30–16:30
Sat & Sun: closed
Please wear a mask during your gallery visitsand keep a safe distance of 2 meters from other visitors.
As regards coronavirus guideline of Aalto University, the main visitors to the exhibition are the personnel and students working in the building.
In addition, planned, guided and pre-enrolled visits to exhibitions can be carried out, taking the following into account.
Please check the coronavirus guideline updates at https://www.aalto.fi/en/aalto-university/information-on-coronavirus
`Outré: Encounters with Non/living Things` online exhibition
The growing interest in biomaterials and natural processes is reflected in the fields of research, design and art. This year, Aalto ARTS Books published a book ‘Art as we don’t know it”.
Bioartist were also winners in the recent Aalto campus art competition. Julia Lohmann’s Hidaka Ohmu seaweed pavilion will be on display at A Bloc shopping centre in Espoo 16.11. – 16.12.2020.
Biofilia is a biological art unit which provides a platform for trans-disciplinary research and education. It provides artists, researchers, students and scholars with the ability to engage with the life sciences and their applications within an artistic and cultural context, thus making creative and critical links between biosciences, engineering and the arts.
2018 marked the 10th anniversary of the Bioart Society and created the impetus for the publication of Art as We Don’t Know It. For this publication, the Bioart Society joined forces with the School of Arts, Design and Architecture of the Aalto University.
Julia Lohmann's globally acknowledged seaweed pavilion is on display around the clock at A Bloc in Otaniemi, Finland.
Laura Piispanen, Noora Heiskanen, Jenna Ahonen and Ayda Grisiute convinced the jury with their creativity.
How can we make space for unexpected ways of looking at the world? Galleries and exhibition venues are co-produced spaces for action, bringing together the knowledge, content, vision, and passion of different agents.
