LEARNING OUTCOMES
Participants will learn through practice-based work to critically reflect on experimental and/or laboratory practices; their meaning and impact within human thinking and potential for the future developments within art, science & technology field
Credits: 5
Schedule: 01.11.2021 - 10.12.2021
Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Laura Beloff
Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):
laura.beloff@aalto.fi - course management and primary teacher
mari.keskikorsu@aalto.fi - soilchromatography
juan.duarte@aalto.fi - Microbial Fuel Cells
Victoria Kang - Biofilia master
Manuel Fonseca Martinez - Lasercut workshop master
CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):
Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):
Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
valid for whole curriculum period:
Typically, laboratory is understood as a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. This definition leaves out artistic experiments, however, during the first decades of the 21st century increasing amounts of artists have begun entering scientific laboratories and using scientific methodologies in their work. Also, many artists consider their studio as a kind of a laboratory, a space for experimentations - systematic, messy and sometimes theoretical.
This course will take experimentation from the ground up (understood widely from wet-lab to physical computing and to artist studio) as a starting point for practice-based work. In focus are especially topics inherent for the field of art & science, such as: the emergence of hybrid ecology, enhanced humans, modified organisms, artificial and biological life, evolution, intelligence at large - among various others.
The course welcomes students from different disciplines with an interest in practice-based work and critical reflection. This course has a stronger focus on practice, therefore... It is strongly recommended that students taking this course attend also a parallel lecture-series: Art & Science - Scientific Pathways to Art.
applies in this implementation
In this fall 2021 edition of the course -
- you will get an overview of the art & science / bioart field.
- you will learn about soilchromatographies - their use in science and how to read them. But we will also learn to make them hands-on ourselves.
- we will also build Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC), which are science-developed energy harvesting 'batteries' or one could also call them 'living batteries' as the energy is produced by living soil-bacteria.
-the aim is to develop these techniques/methods further with an art perspective and critically investigate what they can 'give' for artistic approaches. For example with questions like: Can you think of a conceptual approach for investigating soil from specific location(s) with soilchromatography? What can you do with bacteria-based battery which produces minimal amounts of energy but is sustainable and safe compared to current batteries? How to care for the battery ecology?
Shortly, the focus of the course will be on one of the most important elements we have on this planet, soil and its ecosystem of organisms.
I openly welcome diverse approaches and experiments - additionally to the ones we are investigating together!
I am looking forward seeing interesting and contextualized soil-chromatography experiments, as well as experiments with microbial fuel cells (MFC) and their colonies of bacteria - and/or the use of the produced bio-energy.
:-) Laura
Assessment Methods and Criteria
valid for whole curriculum period:
-Presence: 80% on the course.
-Constructed artwork, experiment or prototype that is presented - individually or in small groups (recommended).
applies in this implementation
The 80% presence means that you can be absent once during the 6 weeks/days of the course.
In case you miss more than one session: The soil chromatography experiment needs to be done/finished. The MFC experiment/prototype needs to be done/finished. Additionally some reading+writing will be decided to replace the missing sessions. We will decide on a deadline together.
Workload
valid for whole curriculum period:
Contact teaching 42h and 93h independent work
applies in this implementation
Be prepared that home- and other work is required additionally to the course hours.
DETAILS
Study Material
valid for whole curriculum period:
Will be provided in syllabus
Substitutes for Courses
valid for whole curriculum period:
Prerequisites
valid for whole curriculum period:
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further Information
valid for whole curriculum period:
Teaching Period:
2020-2021 Spring IV
2021-2022 Spring IV
Course Homepage: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/search.php?search=TAI-E315201
Registration for Courses: Sisu replaces Oodi on 9 August, 2021. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-in-aalto-arts
ViCCA major students who need the course for their degree are the first priority.
Details on the schedule
applies in this implementation
!! Prior to taking the course _ !!
Homework_to be done before the first session:
Students MUST complete & pass the first part of Biofilia ABC course online before they come to the lab session. Mycourses link: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=19399
NOTE: One cannot work in the Biofilia lab without passing the BiofiliaABC-course. The course is embedded into the beginning of this course. It will grant you one extra credit (1 cr).
Self-enrollment key: Bio2021
General rules:
* Both online and lab sessions must be completed to pass the BiofiliaABC-course that enables you to work in the Biofilia laboratory.
* In principle, no makeup classes are given. Students must show up on time and stay until the end of the sessions to receive the full credit. If an excused absence happens, the student will be added to the waiting list for the next possible BiofiliaABC - lab session later in the semester.Another task to be done before the 1st session: Check out the Introduction video for the course by Laura
CHECK the detailed schedule from the section 'SCHEDULE and plan' (left side bar)!!!