December 6 to 9, 2016

Riddoch Art Gallery calls for 10 – 12 artist-participants for DIY BioArt 101, a four day practical and theoretical BioArt workshop led by internationally renowned artist Niki Sperou.

Participants will work with readily available materials and domestic appliances in order to manipulate living biological media. The aim is to open access to scientific techniques and research to facilitate the production of biotech projects.

Practical exercises and group discussion will focus upon bio-ethics, bio-colonialism, ecology and broader bio-political concerns. Participants will approach the practical, theoretical and creative applications of biotechnological practice; collecting specimens, creating cultures, making media, gene transfection, the creation of metaphors and poetic works.

This exciting workshop will run concurrent to “People Like Us” an exhibition capturing the universal aspects of the human condition touring to Riddoch Art Gallery in December.

People like us reveals the array of experimental technologies used by artists as they comment on issues confronting us in the 21st century through a collection of recent new media works by Australian and international practitioners.

Adelaide artist Niki Sperou investigates the nexus between art, science, culture and their role in the shaping of human identity. Sperou’s experimental intermedia works combine sculpture, textiles, photography, moving images, painting & drawing, traditional crafts, biological organisms and biotechnical laboratory processes and products. Since 2006, Sperou has been Artist in Residence at the department of Medical Biotechnology, Flinders University.

The exhibition “The Colonised Body” 2016, was the outcome of her residency at the SAHMRI, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, during SALA, South Australian Living Artist’s Festival. She has lectured in art theory at the University of South Australia and has led workshops and discussion groups on BioArt in Australia, Macedonia and Canada and has participated in workshops by Oron Catts and Eduardo Kac at the Experimental Art Foundation in Adelaide, Australia.

The workshop will address:

  • responsibilities; permissions, working responsibly, lab safety, correct disposal and clean up
  • keeping records
  • repurposing everyday materials
  • collecting specimens, field work, culturing microorganisms
  • growing what you want to grow; creating environments, making media & aseptic technique
  • extracting DNA & gene transfection
  • analysis; discussion, making things visible, ethics, controls, making metaphors, are we speaking the same language?

The cost of the workshop is $100, which includes laboratory materials. Participants from out of town must organize their own travel and accommodation.

Due to the nature of this workshop, we are able to accept only 12 participants in total. To ensure a broad range of people with different levels and kinds of experience and expertise, we ask each applicant to submit their CV/portfolio along with a (250 word maximum) letter of intent to maincorner@mountgambier.sa.gov.au no later than NOVEMBER 25, 2016.
Selected participants will be notified by 1 December 2016.