About
Laboratory Life was a unique, interactive art-science laboratory, organised by Lighthouse and The Arts Catalyst and open to the public. It took place February March 2011.
Conceived and led by artist Andy Gracie, a group of international artists and scientists from the UK, Spain and the US worked with doctors, scientists and artists, to create a series of projects exploring the cutting edge of medical technology in a living laboratory at Lighthouse. These projects were showcased in an exhibition at Brighton Science Festival.
What made this project unique was its open nature. Laboratory Life adopted a radically open structure, inviting the public to come and visit the laboratory, meet the artists and scientists as they worked, and interact with them.
During the laboratory, the artists and scientists created five art-science projects which formed the basis of a fascinating exhibition at Lighthouse, featuring DNA tattooing, astrobiology, microbiological textiles and much more. The projects are:
Public Misunderstanding of Science
Led by Bruce Gilchrist. Collaborators: Kate Genevieve, Simona Casonato, David Louwrier, Daksha Patel
Infective Textiles
Led by Anna Dumitriu. Collaborators: Rosie Sedgwick, Sarah Roberts, Brian Degger, Melissa Grant
The Quest for Drosophila Titanus
Led by Andy Gracie. Collaborators: Kuaishen Auson, Janine Fenton, Meredith Walsh
Tattoo Traits
Led by Adam Zaretsky. Collaborators: Zack Denfield, Helen Bullard, Simon Hall
The Garden Shed Lab
Led by Kira O'Reilly. Collaborators: Valerie Furnham, Columba Quigley, Genevieve Maxwell
For more about the projects, visit the Laboratory Life webpage
This November as part of the Microwave Festival, all five projects will be presented. A combination of the artworks and artefacts created by the teams, and documentation of the laboratory will be shown in the festival international exhibition. The exhibition also features work by leading international art labs, including which includes work by etoy, robotlab and Time's Up.
Lead artist Andy Gracie, and Lighthouse programme curator Jamie Wyld will also discuss the project at the festival symposium.
