A cultural exploration of synthetic biology!

 Synthetic Biology is an emerging area of research, which applies engineering principles to biology. It promises new drugs and materials for medical applications, new routes to make biofuels and chemicals and enable the building of novel genomes and cells. It could have profound implications for the way we perceive and use living things.

Synthesis is an intensive exchange laboratory for artists, scientists and other disciplines to collaboratively explore synthetic biology's ideas and techniques, and its social and cultural implications.Participants were selected through an international open call.

Two public evening events during the week will broaden the exchange with the public

Synthesis Public Events

Synthetic Biology Film Night - Tuesday 5 July 2011 (details to be announced shortly)

Synthetic Biology in Art & Society: Forum - Thursday 7 July 2011 (details to be announced shortly)

Synthesis Exchange Laboratory

The Synthesis exchange laboratory is being devised and led by Professor John Ward and colleagues at UCL with artist-designers Oron Catts and Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. The exchange process is intended to explore and challenge the notions of synthetic biology, the level of control and manipulation of living systems, the application of engineering logic, and the social and cultural dimensions of synthetic biology; with the hope to inspire proposals for future projects from all participants. Other contributors to the laboratory include scientists Alastair Elfick, University of Edinburgh, and Ferman Federici, University of Cambridge, historian and philosopher Joe Cain, UCL, designer Tuur Van Balen and artist Andy Gracie.

Artist Melanie Jackson is being commissioned to make an artist's film from her engagement with the laboratory process and investigations of synthetic biology.

Exhcange lab participants are:

Melanie Jackson, artist, UK
Laura Cinti, artist, UK
Brendan Clarke, philosopher & historian, UK
Irilenia Nobelli, bioinformatics, UK
Tom Bailey, theatre practitioner, UK
Veronika Valk, curator, Estonia/Australia
Niccolo Casas, architect, Italy
Eliza Dominguez Huttinger, systems & synthetic biologist, UK
Anne Brodie, artist, UK
Thiago Soveral, architect, Brazil/UK
Helen Bullard, artist, UK
Joy Yueyue Zhang, social scientist, UK/China
Jennet Thomas, artist, UK
Nathan Cohen, artist, UK
JD Talasek, curator, USA
Sneha Solanki, artist, UK
Katy Connor, artist, UK
Orkan Telhan, artist-designer, USA
Matt Johnson, industrial designer, UK

Synthesis is organised by The Arts Catalyst with UCL and Synthetic Aesthetics. It is funded by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award, with support from The Arts Catalyst (Arts Council England funded), the SynBion network (funded by BBSRC and EPSRC), SymbioticA (The University of Western Australia) and Synthetic Aesthetics (funded by EPSRC and the National Science Foundation).

Further labs are intended in Edinburgh, Stanford, US, and Perth, Australia.