Presenting their research into the liveliness of matter, our Scientists in Residence at Central Saint Martins for 2024 were Masahiko Hara, Department of Chemical Science and Engineering at Science Tokyo; and Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry in the Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment at University College London.
From an open call, twenty-four postgraduate students were selected to work with the scientists and their teams, to bring new perspectives and responses to the research. They started from a shared set of questions exploring definitions of life and the liveliness of matter, the origins of intelligence and the forces that drive the flow of energy and information.
Over the week, students and the scientists and their teams exchanged ideas inside the Central Saint Martins Grow Lab and UCL’s Lane Lab; and via remote link with the labs of the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo, connecting with Kosuke Fujishima, Professor of Astrobiology. The entire process was observed by social scientists, led by Kayoko Nohara, a Professor of Translation Studies, interested in how concepts, materials and processes were used in the transdisciplinary process.
The collaborative process was captured by film maker Zoé Fayaud.
Documentary by Zoé Fayaud
New questions and perspectives generated by the students through critical and creative responses to the research were presented back to the professors and public at the end of the week, at an open event.
Working collaboratively, students grew chemical gardens and structural colour, made self-organising drawings, built interactive installations, and wrote poetry - reflecting on the processes of life and the experimental systems designed to study it.
"The experience was freeing. Collaborating with others, across multiple disciplines, you learn a lot in a very short space of time. I finished the week feeling like I’d accomplished at least a month’s worth of work, in the best of ways. And the questions that arose, because of our work, are feeding into my individual practice in a way that I could not have anticipated."Sarah Akbar, MA Art and Science
"The experience was freeing. Collaborating with others, across multiple disciplines, you learn a lot in a very short space of time. I finished the week feeling like I’d accomplished at least a month’s worth of work, in the best of ways. And the questions that arose, because of our work, are feeding into my individual practice in a way that I could not have anticipated."
Sarah Akbar, MA Art and Science
"Examining and exploring life from various perspectives has deepened my appreciation for the hidden and unspoken ‘tensions’ within living beings. I have sought to reveal the intricate connections that characterize living existence through vibrational phenomena."Wanbo Li (Ember), MA Art and Science
"Examining and exploring life from various perspectives has deepened my appreciation for the hidden and unspoken ‘tensions’ within living beings. I have sought to reveal the intricate connections that characterize living existence through vibrational phenomena."
Wanbo Li (Ember), MA Art and Science
“The residency was a transformative experience, blending art and science to explore life's origins. Through innovative experiments and interdisciplinary collaboration, I gained new insights that continue to deeply influence my work. It was a unique opportunity that expanded my creative boundaries and inspired profound artistic growth. “Karyn Easton, MA Fine Art Digital
“The residency was a transformative experience, blending art and science to explore life's origins. Through innovative experiments and interdisciplinary collaboration, I gained new insights that continue to deeply influence my work. It was a unique opportunity that expanded my creative boundaries and inspired profound artistic growth. “
Karyn Easton, MA Fine Art Digital
"Mattering Life was an exciting residency project where I collaborated with scholars from various disciplines to explore the flow of energy and life in the microscopic world through interactive installations. This experience allowed me to deeply investigate how to visualize scientific phenomena through artistic creation, revealing the philosophy of life from microscopic cells to macroscopic ecosystems.”Zhuoer He, MA Art and Science
"Mattering Life was an exciting residency project where I collaborated with scholars from various disciplines to explore the flow of energy and life in the microscopic world through interactive installations. This experience allowed me to deeply investigate how to visualize scientific phenomena through artistic creation, revealing the philosophy of life from microscopic cells to macroscopic ecosystems.”
Zhuoer He, MA Art and Science
“Inspired by ongoing research on hydrothermal vents led by Nick Lane’s team at UCL, our team explored the concept of Earth as a microcosm of the universe in our project, 'Beyond Earth'. Our work encompassed diverse experimental methods such as chemical gardens, dendritic painting, AI-generated imagery, and a comprehensive zine compiling insights and visuals. By observing and manipulating reactions like the emergence of biological cells, we speculated on the origin of life 'Beyond Earth'."Charlotte Bassadone, MA Art and Science
“Inspired by ongoing research on hydrothermal vents led by Nick Lane’s team at UCL, our team explored the concept of Earth as a microcosm of the universe in our project, 'Beyond Earth'. Our work encompassed diverse experimental methods such as chemical gardens, dendritic painting, AI-generated imagery, and a comprehensive zine compiling insights and visuals. By observing and manipulating reactions like the emergence of biological cells, we speculated on the origin of life 'Beyond Earth'."
Charlotte Bassadone, MA Art and Science
Since establishing the Grow Lab in 2019, every two years we have invited cutting edge scientists to share their research to be reimagined and re-presented through transdisciplinary hacking. Each new iteration of the programme focuses on a different aspect of scientific research linked with life science, material science and clinical research, connecting into the Living Systems Lab research group at Central Saint Martins, which is co-led by Heather.
The CSM project team are analysing the data collected from sketchbooks, observations, conversations and evaluation of three years of the Scientist in Residence, to write up the research for publication and further share the processes of transdisciplinary working between science and technology and art and design. They are planning and fundraising for more opportunities to bring contemporary science into meaningful contact with art and design disciplines.