Anna Dumitriu Tesla Talk 5 November 2008

Anna Dumitriu –

Talking to Bacteria, Unnecessary Research and the Sublime

Wednesday 5th November 2008

Garwood Lecture Theatre, UCL

6-7pm

In this talk Anna Dumitriu will explain her approach to transdisciplinary art practice, what working collaboratively means to her, why she ‘talks’ to bacteria and why unnecessary research is so important. As Einstein said: “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?

Chair and Bed Flora at Shunt Lounge

Chair and Bed Flora at Shunt Lounge

Cybernetic Bacteria

School Flora

Anna Dumitriu’s highly experimental work is involved with the nature of trans-disciplinary practice-based research.

She has collaborated with scientists on at least 10 major projects over the past eleven years and often tends to go very deeply into her chosen area of research, taking on, or attempting to take on the role of scientist, in an almost performative sense, raising paradigmatic questions in her work. Her installations, interventions and performances use a range of digital, biological and traditional media including video projections, mobile phones and embroidery, working with diverse audiences often in non-traditional settings. Her key research interests are normal flora microbiology, artificial life (and its links to microbiology), philosophical notions of the sublime, medicine and healthcare.

Her work has been exhibited internationally including USA, Brazil, France, Russia and Lithuania and is held in international public collections including the Science Museum, London. She is currently Artist in Residence at The Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics at Sussex University, participating in the prestigious e-MobiLArt project (European Mobile Lab for Interactive Artists), a visiting lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and researching her practice-based Fine Art PhD part-time at The University of Brighton.

Getting to UCL:

The nearest Tube stations are Euston Square and Warren Street. For full details, see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/location/public-transport

How to find the Garwood Lecture Theatre:

Once you enter the main gate of UCL in Gower Street, you will face the Portico in the UCL quadrangle courtyard. Please take the right hand side diagonal and walk to the right corner of the building. You will see the brass tablet indicating South Wing. Enter the second entrance door at the South Wing, and you will find the Garwood Lecture Theatre on the first floor. There will be signs from the entrance that will help you to find the exact location easily.

You may also consult the UCL maps at:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/location/maps

Entrance is free, all welcome.

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