A research programme for artists working at the intersection of art, life sciences and ecology, from microorganisms to synthetic biology. Designer and researcher Yasaman Sheri leads the project.
Research questions
We’re currently investigating:
- instruments, tools and platforms supporting artistic practice in life sciences
- emerging areas of inquiry in contemporary biotechnology
- ecological art and microbial aesthetics
- poetics of sensing and perception beyond human scales
- aesthetics of new nature
- translation models for critical and cultural narratives in scientific spaces
- reframing science and biological technologies in cultural and popular discourse
Research activities
The Lab brings artistic and scientific communities together to encourage experimental exchange. Through projects like Compendium, we support art-science collaborations and explore tools and models for the artistic community to engage with sciences and lifeforms.
Compendium
We run an archive of resources, conversations and content called Compendium. The archive supports artistic inquiry into ecology and life sciences. In the first season, we looked at fermentation in the kitchen and beyond. Learn more in our archive of journals, papers, diagrams, artwork, articles, aural songs, memes, and paintings.
Advisory panel
Synthetic Ecologies Lab is supported by a growing advisory panel:
Christina Agapakis – Creative Director at Ginkgo Bioworks
Tega Brain – Artist, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Charles Broskoski – Co-founder of Are.na
Holly Jean Buck – Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo
Chiara Di Leone – Researcher and Editor at The Syllabus
Dr. Elizabeth Henaff – Computational Biologist/Artist, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Laboratory for Living Interfaces
Erin Kim – Director of Communications at Geltor
Aslak Aamot Kjærulff – Co-founder of Primer
David Zilber – Chef, Scientist, Fermentation Expert, Author of The NOMA guide to Fermentation
