Brighton BioArt Workshop
FRS 127's First Day In Brighton!
Studio Visit - Anna Dumitriu
Anna Dumitriu is a British artist specializing in BioArt, often exploring themes related to human relationships with diseases, robotics, synthetic biology, and much more. She is an accomplished and renowned speaker with years of research expereicne across numerous universities. an extensive amount of exhibitions all over the world as well as research experience across numerous universities. Anna's 69 major projects (featured on her website), among many more, have been featured in over 100 exhibitions all around the globe as she continues to push her creativity as both an artist and scientist.
We began our day at Atelier By the Sea, where we met with Anna and engaged in her presentation. She showcased and discussed several of her bioart pieces, discussing her design process, the history of her work, the inspirations that drove concepts, and detailing the technical and biological aspects that allowed her to execute and bring her vision to life.
Below are a few of her most famous pieces of artwork along with their individual stories:
Plague Dress
The Plague Dress (2018) is a 1665-style garment that was made from raw silk, in reference to the cloth workers who imported the material through the Silk Road, and potentially causing the Great Plague. The dress was also dyed with walnut husks, symbolizing the era of Nicholas Culpeper, a famous herbalist, who considered walnuts as a great source of treatment for the Plague. Anna impregnated the 17th-century embroidery patterns within the dress with the DNA of Yersinia pestis bacteria, now commonly known as the plague. The flowers sticking out of the dress is lavender, symbolic of its believed remedy to prevent the plague, particularly by masking its scent.
Zenexton
Zenexton (2022) is a bioart piece whose name and creation were inspired by a myth originating from the 1570s. Theophrastus Paracelsus assigned the term "Zenexton" to mean an amulet with powers to protect the wearer from the plague. There was very little hope that it could actually be created and society began brainstorming bizarre ingredients that the amulet should contain to fight the plague: powdered toad, menstrual blood from a virgin, etc. However, Anna's amulet, 3D printed in gold-plated brass, actually works as it contains a vaccine for the plague inside. Other details on the amulet, lab-made sapphires, toad skin texture, and blood are all also symbolic of theoretical solutions to cure the disease.
Make Do and Mend
Make Do and Mend (2016-17) is a piece that references the 75th anniversary of the first time penicillin was used in humans (1941) and is itself, an altered antique wartime women's suit. During World War 2, women were told to reuse old scraps of fabric to mend other clothing during an intense rationing period. Anna uses CRISPR technology to genetically edit E. Coli, writing and encoding the words/phrase "Make Do and Mend" into DNA and then transferring them onto different textiles, which were then stained and sewn onto the wartime suit. fabrics. This pays tribute to not only the invention of antibiotics and our advancements in medicine but also to a societal reminder of the caution needed regarding antibiotic use in medical practices.
"Learning about Anna's motivation for creating bioart and personally witnessing the magnificent ocean of Brighton made me realize the fragility of nature and how we ought to be thinking about it in whatever we do." - Elaine Gao
Microbiology Workshop - DIY Agar
FRS127 takes on making agar: gram approximation of agar powder, consistent stirring, and measuring liquid.
Following Anna's presentation, she invited us to participate and led us through a microbiology workshop: DIY Agar!
Agar is a polysaccharide (a carbohydrate) based hydrocolloid (polymer), that has a wide range of applications, particularly in food as a gelling agent, biomedicine to produce capsules, and especially (in our case) microbiology as a culture medium for bacteria and microorganisms.
The creation of the agar required the mixture of numerous ingredients ranging from agar powder to milk to the British delicacy Marmite. Throughout the process, we utilized numerous techniques and executed perfect precision until the agar came to a boil in the pot. We proceeded to then pour the thick liquid of agar gel into empty petri dishes, and they would begin to solidify just after a few minutes.
From there, we were given a creative outlet to create art within our petri dishes whether it be by swabbing bacteria or combining natural dyes and textile; some organic material posessed antimicrobial resistance. After the curation, these dishes were then incubated by Anna, and later examined for bacterial growth patterns.
"This was a really immersive experience that dramatically expanded my understanding of biology, art, and the especially the two in combination! It was almost strange to be both an artist and a scientist at the same time. The variety of materials that were made available to us, including different textiles and spices, along with tools like pipettes, brushes, and test tubes, created an environment combining an art studio with a laboratory. I even found myself a little sad when we ran out of agar and petri dishes!" - Erika Yeung
More photos of FRS127 being mad scientists!
Post-Incubation Photo (Thanks to Anna) of our petri dishes after bacteria growth!
"I loved exploring the town of Brighton, and experiencing a part of Anna Dumitriu's bio art making process." - Lily Hutcheson
UNESCO Chalk Reef - Seaweed Collecting
The chalk reef, located along the Marina is a part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known as the Living Coast, in Brighton and is among one of just a few chalk reefs in the world.
The Living Coast
After discussion, our workshop, and lunch with Anna, we made our way to the Brighton Marina, where we were assigned to collect different seaweed samples for both agar extraction and the creation of biomaterial the following day. Along with ziploc bags and test tubes for collection, we were given molding clay to imprint patterns into, which could then be used for the patterns of our biomaterial. Checking in with Anna after just a few minutes of seaweed searching, she had already found five different species! We were also able to learn more about the coastal history of Brighton and the technological advancements, particularly those made in the 1890s.
(1) We partnered off into groups of two and collected close to five different species of seaweed along the coast along the tide. Seaweed grows at different levels, not just regarding altitude, but along the reef, thus there was a disparity in species the closer we were to the tide as well as farther.
(2) After collecting, we regrouped to discuss the seaweed collecting and its significance as a hobby for women in the 1800s, symbolic of their power in science. We also discussed the use of seaweed to extract agar, as it exists within some species naturally; a practice arising from our dependence on Japanese sourced agar before WW2.
(3) We were able to look at and analyze a species of seaweed, (pink/coral colored) with innate agar, however we weren't able to find much of it, but we hope to use our other samples to create our own biomaterial!
Historical Fun Fact!
In 1896, on the site of the UNESCO chalk reef, a coastline railway, extremely technologically advanced for its time, through the coastal waters of the English Channel. It was called the Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway and it was able to carry tens of thousands of passengers. Although popular, it was soon abandoned (1901) in order to make room for naval defenses, and later on, there was a lack of funding for a replacement.
This early technological advancement foreshadowed the possibility of electric railway systems.
Exploration in Brighton
After our day with Anna, we were given some free time to explore Brighton and the beautiful works of art and culture in its streets. It is a very beautiful coastal town with vibrant colors and a booming, busy nature throughout. We had our 2nd dinner of the trip at The Walrus!
On our way to dinner, we noticed this mural on the walls of a "Little Men and Little Miss" cartoon drama, symbolizing an intersection of modern-day artwork and "pop culture" with biology, and more particularly the human skeleton.
"I think it's very easy to forget that bio art is everywhere around us, but in reality, we were able to see so many elements of bio art around Brighton." - Kehan Chen