Art & science workshop for youth aged 12-16 years

Location: Aalto Design Factory, Otaniemi
Date: 17–19 October 2022
Hosts: Aino Johansson ja Sirja Moberg
Fasilitator: Bioart Society
Language: Finnish

Down to Earth III is an experimental three-day long hands-on workshop for youth aged 12-16 years, taking place at Aalto Design Factory in Otaniemi during 17–19 October 2022. The workshop will introduce participants to the soil chromatography technique, first developed in the 1950s. Each participant prepares a soil chromatography by using their own soil samples, gathered together from the Otaniemi area.

The workshop hosts are bioartists Aino Johansson and Sirja Moberg. Representatives of the Bioart Society will also be present at the workshop, assisting and guiding the participants. A guided tour around the Aalto Design Lab and its facilities is included in the workshop program. At the end of the workshop, the participants will make a collaborative art installation using the soil chromatographies created during the workshop.

The workshop is for youths interested in science and/or art. The aim is to provoke thoughts and stim conversation relating to soil and its role on planet Earth – what does soil tell us about our environment, and what can we do with this information? The workshop also introduces the participants to bioart, as the expressive soil chromatographies demonstrate the intersection of art and science.

We invite you to join our workshop for an exciting three-days of art and science! Participants do not need any former experience or skill, neither is there a participation fee. If you want to join, send a short introduction letter to soil@bioartsociety.fi by 25th September 2022 in which you state who you are, and your age and tell a bit about your interest in science, art, soil and/or bioart. You can also send us questions relating to the workshop and its topics.

The workshop has room for ten (10) participants aged 12-16 years. The selected youth will be contacted by the end of September via email. We will share a detailed schedule with the selected participants before the workshop.

Note

The process of soil chromatography is precise and includes handling of toxic chemicals (sodium hydroxide, silver nitrate) in a monitored, safe and guided environment by the workshop leaders and Bioart Society members.

Bioart is an interdisciplinary art form which creatively combines scientific methods with art. In Finland, bioart is promoted by the Bioart Society, founded in 2008. Among other things, the Bioart Society – together with the University of Helsinki – maintains the Ars Bioarctica residency program located at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station. In 2017, the Bioart Society was awarded the State Prize for multidisciplinary art by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

Down to Earth youth workshop is part of Restorative Practices which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, which aims to support European projects in the field of cultural production and innovation. Restorative Practices partner associations include Bioart Society, Cultivamos Cultura (PT), UR Institut (HR), and Casa do Rio (ES) which leads the project. Down to Earth workshops have previously been organized for artists in April 2022 and December 2022.