SYNTHESIS
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY EXCHANGE LABORATORY
Exploring the cultural dimensions of synthetic biology
through a week-long interdisciplinary exchange lab
and series of public events
01.
About
SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011. Synthesis is an intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers, and others to collaboratively explore synthetic biology’s ideas and techniques and its social and cultural implications, within the laboratory settin Synthetic Biology is an emerging area of research, which applies engin — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
02.
Partners & Sponsors
Synthesis Partners The Arts Catalyst The Arts Catalyst is one of the UK’s leading commissioning and producing arts organisations, specialising in new artists’ projects that experimentally and critically engage with science. It brings together people across the art/science divide and beyond to explore science in its wider social, political and cultural contexts. The Arts Catalyst has commissioned more than 80 artists’ projects, including major new works by Tomas Saraceno, Ashok Suku — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
03.
Synbio
Synthetic Biology's Brief History Excerpt from the Synthesis handbook by Jane Calvert, University of Edinburgh iGEM 2004 UT Austin/UCSF Team. Hello World bacterial photograph. Photograph by Aaron A. Chevalier. ‘Synthetic’ is an ambiguous word since it can mean either ‘constructed’ or ‘artificial’. The former meaning is preferred by synthetic biologists, but it is inevitable that the notion of ‘artificial’ is associated with the field. In fact, attempts have been made — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
04.
Handbook
A 100-page handbook and introductory reader to Synthetic Biology We developed a handbook to accompany the workshop, with new contributions from cademics, artists and experts around the world. We developed new protocols for the workshop, each tied into the 7 themes that we explored. See Syllabus for more information about the workshop content. Handbook Introduction by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg Synthetic biology is demanding we rethink our understanding of the natural world and life itse — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
05.
Texts
Excerpts from the Synthesis handbook Archaeologists of a Future Nature by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Synthetic Aesthetics Synthesis participants on a tour of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, led by Joe Cain. Photo: Melanie Jackson At the International Commission on Stratigraphy - the group with the burden of officially designating geological time units to define the history of the Earth - members of The Anthropocene Working Group are discussing evidence to define our entrance into a new era — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
06.
Programme
Six days in the lab, seven modules, seven practicals, seventeen talks, five discussions, one fieldtrip, two public events... — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
07.
Contributors
The Synthesis Team Editor: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Synthetic Aesthetics, Stanford University/University of Edinburgh Professor John Ward, Biochemistry, UCL Nicola Triscott, The Arts Catalyst Dr. Jane Gregory, Science & Technology Studies, UCL Oron Catts, SymbioticA, University of Western Australia Dr. Jane Calvert, Social & Political Science, University of Edinburgh Dr. Alistair Elfick, Bioengineering, University of Edinburgh Handbook and Workshop — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
08.
Gallery
The first Synthesis Exchange Laboratory, UCL 2010 In July 2010, UCL hosted our pilot workshop, exploring the cultural dimensions of synthetic biology in a week-long interdisciplinary exchange lab and series of public events (a panel and a film night), with 25 participants from a variety of art, science, design and humanities backgrounds. Modules were led by our contributors - UCL scientists and invited guests from around the world - giving talks, demonstrations and leading practicals. Rea — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
09.
Participants
Participants The participants for the first workshop came from all over the world, and from disciplines as varied as art, industrial design, curation, philosophy, architecture, systems biology, bioinformatics and theatre. New projects are already emerging as a result of the experience. Read more about the participants here: — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011
10.
What's Next
Host the next Synthesis laboratory? Would you like to host the next Synthesis Exchange Laboratory? Please contact Nicola Triscott at the Arts Catalyst to discuss the project. Artist Melanie Jackson is being commissioned to make an artist's film from her engagement with the laboratory process and investigations of synthetic biology, to be completed in 2012 with screening events in London and Edinburgh. Watch this space! — SYNTHESIS is a six-day intensive exchange laboratory for artists, designers, synthetic biologists, engineers and others, held for the first time in July 2011