Scientists and artists: What can they create together?

The bioart exhibition Shared Habitats, which has been on display at MO Museum since spring, had already been introduced in Taiwan and would travel to the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, in early September. The art, science and technology festival, which has been going on for 40 years, attracts visitors from all over the world. This year it will be attended by more than 1,000 participants, including Mindaugas Gapševičius, the organiser of the creative workshops and the exhibition Shared Habitats recently displayed at MO.

How did art and science come together at the museum? What can scientists and artists do together? We talked to Marius Gapševičius, an artist who graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts and Goldsmith University in London and is currently teaching at the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

When and how did your interest in bioart begin?

I am a graduate in painting and I represent visual arts. For a long time my artistic practice was more about computers. A few years ago, something happened that was meant to – artificial intelligence and computers were no longer enough, so I got interested in biology.

You have organised up to four different creative workshops at MO Museum. All of them were part of the Shared Habitats exhibition. What kind of workshops were these and what did their participants do?

A three-day workshop at MO Museum was held for the first time. Each workshop involved around ten participants of all ages and occupations. In the first workshop, “SCOBY, Shit and Humus“ we analysed the symbiosis between various organisms. We studied how to isolate a single bacterium from many, what are the ways of growing bacteria and tried to find out how growing bacterial colonies interact with each other. We also observed what was happening in soil and how organisms distributed themselves in different soil samples.

The second workshop, “I, Machine, and Energy Harvesting” was devoted to exploring how we can use the electrical current generated by our bodies in order to produce sound and images, light up light-diodes or listen to music. It is not uncommon to use one’s body as a source of energy, and this is exactly what we did during this workshop. What is more, we have implemented some impressive ideas – we have also performed a joint performance using our bodies as energy sources.

The third workshop focused on lactose intolerance and one’s own DNA analysis. By analysing DNA mutations using professional and household equipment, we raised the questions of how to analyse one’s own DNA domestically, whether it is possible to clone oneself, what causes lactose intolerance and how to manipulate the genome.

During the fourth workshop, we were observing how organisms communicate with each other and how information travels from organisms to non-organisms and vice versa. Thinking about the ability of plants to exchange information, we connected plants to computers, converting the fluctuations of electric power they produced into a digital version. By experimenting, we explored how mushrooms grow, how to cultivate mycelium and take care of it, how to use this knowledge in creativity and why communication between organisms is important.

Did you have to prepare specifically for this workshop? Were there any requirements for participants?

The main requirement was motivation. Before coming, participants had to get acquainted with the workshop materials. The first day was devoted to technical and practical subjects, on the second day we experimented. On the third day of the workshop, we completed our works or experiments and made their presentations.

What were the reactions of the participants before and after the workshop? What surprised them or caught their attention?

Subjects studied and analysed during the workshop were unusual for participants. Representatives of science found artistic aspects new, while artists discovered the use of scientific methods for creative ideas rather interesting. Most importantly, the participants were open and willing to develop their ideas. Of course, it was not all that simple. Although applying technologies nowadays is common, combining scientific, technical and artistic solutions has been a daunting and unusual pursuit.

How globally widespread is bioart, the synergy between science and art?

Bioart is still a rare phenomenon. Biology is a complex science that requires consistent and responsible work with various life forms. The bacteria or mycelium may not grow when it is most needed, for example, at the exhibition. To make things happen as planned during the exhibition, we must anticipate all the factors. Such investigations and observations take time. We read scientific articles, explain how organisms work. We often collaborate with scientists. Believe me, it is not easy to communicate professionally with representatives of different fields.

Is Bauhaus University one of the major places where collaborations between artists and scientists take place? What are other universities in the world that are working in a similar direction?

So far, the collaboration between artists and scientists is certainly not a massive phenomenon. There are approximately ten such universities worldwide where art students have access to research laboratories. Among them is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is probably currently the primary university for science, technology and arts. Also the University of Western Australia, Srishti Institute of Art in Bangalore, Aalto University in Helsinki, School of Visual Arts in New York. And our Bauhaus University in Weimar.

After the workshop at MO Museum, you are going to the Ars Electronica Festival. Can you describe briefly what is this festival about and what happens there?

Ars Electronica is an art and technology festival that has been going on for 40 years. The festival focuses more on design and technology solutions than visual art. However, it is an interdisciplinary festival presenting the latest solutions regarding technology, science, design and arts. Ars Electronica is the largest festival of its kind in Europe, attracting people from all over the world.

This year’s Ars Electronica Festival in Linz will take place on 5-9 September.