Description

Societies, ecologies and organisms are complex systems that require coordination among their disparate elements to function. These biological systems accomplish this by communicating in a variety of different ways: sound, light, touch, chemical messaging, the exchange of genetic material and electrical impulses. This studio art course critically examines the variety of ways simple biological systems communicate through the lens of contemporary discourse around posthuman roles in the anthropocene and its attendant problems of mass extinction, climate change, clean energy and dwindling resources.

The course will examine examples of biological communications among multicellular and unicellular non-human organisms and will draw on a history of artwork in the field of bioart. The studio asks the student to identify (speculate) ways they can intervene in, mimic or participate in these communication networks in order to inspire empathy and establish new ways of interspecies communication.

Course activities will be supported by the purchase of kit whose contents will serve as tools to facilitate observation, recording, measurement and conversation with the subjects of our explorations. Each student will research a topic of interest and will respond to it through the lens of their own practice in the creation of a final project. No prior skills in electronics or art and technology studies are required; however, curiosity and a willingness to learn are a must.