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23 May 2023
Lab4Living PhD student Roland van Dierendonck has run a workshop at ISEA2023 SYMBIOSIS, the 28th International Symposium of Electronic Arts, which started in Paris last week. Chronomicroscopy is a workshop exploring the choreographies of non-humans.
Chronomicroscopy is part of Roland’s practice-based PhD as a post-graduate researcher at Lab4Living, supervised by Kaisu Koski and Penny McCarthy. In his research, he is focusing on the invisible world of microbes, and asks how observing and sensing microbes inside and outside can lead to shifts in our experienced identities. Witnessing a post-anthropocentric, non-human turn in the humanities, and a microbial turn in biology, he asks how do we “become microbial”? How do we attune to these ecologies of microbial life? How do we develop a love for microbes? In answer to these questions, he develops, adapts, and uses technologies to sense microbes. The research strand Chronomicroscopy illuminates micro-organism movements through time-based microscopy.
Participants at the workshop at ISEA2023 embarked on an exploration in four parts; first, gathering site-specific water samples in the surroundings of the conference venue. Second, learning to use microscopic setups as an art medium. Third, recognizing and naming specific microbes within the ecologies. Fourth, generating images and videos portraying the beauty of microperformativities.
Chronomicroscopy is a video work in four parts, combining the playful traces of life under the microscope with a soundtrack of developing loops. More information is at chronomicroscopy.com. Roland’s PhD is funded through the Research England 100 Year Life programme at Lab4Living.
ISEA International is an international non-profit organization fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organizations and individuals working with art, science, and technology.