Artists’ lectures, workshops eye nexus of art, science, technology

[Anna Dumitriu] (http://www.normalflora.co.uk) and [Alex May] (https://www.alexmayarts.co.uk) , acclaimed artists at the vanguard of a creative movement fusing art, science and technology to produce captivating multimedia art, will share their innovative techniques in a series of [public lectures, demonstrations and interactive workshops] (http://creativity.arch.tamu.edu/news/Dimitriu%20-%20May%20Schedule/) set for March 6 – 8 at Texas A&M University.

The lectures and workshops complement the artist’s March 5-8 exhibit, “ [Anna Dumitriu and Alex May: Recent Works] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2018/2/12/artists-fuse-science-tech-art-march-5-8-wright-gallery-exhibit/) ,” at the Wright Gallery, located on the second floor of the Langford Architecture Center’s building A on the Texas A&M College Station campus.

Dumitriu combines bacteria, sculpture, and installation, to explore humanity’s relationship with infectious diseases, synthetic biology and robotics, while May’s video art, full-scale installations and generative works transcend the boundaries between virtual and physical domains.

Due to limited space, the artist-led workshops are limited to 15 participants. Free registration for the March 6 and 7 workshops is available online.

Workshop: “BioArt and Bacteria”

Dumitriu’s workshop, “BioArt and Bacteria,” is set for noon – 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 in Langford A212.

She will talk about her artwork, introduce participants to methods of working hands-on with microbiology and DNA, and discuss the ethical and health and safety implications of working in this form of nontraditional media.

The workshop will explore Dumitriu’s fascination with the history of medicine and storytelling and invite participants to contribute to a participatory artwork.

Workshop registration is available [online] (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anna-dumitriu-bioart-and-bacteria-tickets-42646922092?aff=erelpanelorg) at the Institute for Applied Creativity website.

Lecture at Health Science Center

On Wednesday, March 7, Dumitriu and May will team up to talk about their work 5 – 7 p.m. gathering in Room LL30 of the university’s Health Professions Education Building, [8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan] (https://www.google.com/maps/place/8447+Riverside+Parkway,+Bryan,+TX+77807/@30.5984017,-96.3971869,1170m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x86468288e95504db:0xcb598f8a4d228570!8m2!3d30.5983971!4d-96.3949982) .

Workshop: “Video Mapping and Painting with Light”

Also on March 7, May will lead “Video Mapping and Painting With Light,” at noon – 3 p.m. workshop in Langford A212. Painting With Light is a video mapping tool May created that enables artists of any technical ability to paint with static and moving images through any video projector onto physical objects. Event registration is available [online] (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alex-may-video-mapping-with-painting-with-light-tickets-42647351376?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_term=viewmyevent_button) .

Workshop: “The Collaborative Process”

In their concluding workshop, “The Collaborative Process,” Dumitriu and May will team up to discuss creative cooperation, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Thursday, March 8 in Langford A212.

The artists will discuss how they work individually and collaboratively on projects that explore the world through digital technologies that include genome sequencing, generative art, virtual reality and robotics. They will also discuss their extensive collaborations with scientists and propose methods of best practice. Participants will develop ways of working collaboratively.

The workshops and lectures are sponsored by the [Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts] (http://academyarts.tamu.edu) and co-sponsored by the Wright Gallery, [College of Architecture] (http://www.arch.tamu.edu/) , the Texas A&M [Health Science Center] (https://www.tamhsc.edu) , the [Institute for Applied Creativity] (http://creativity.arch.tamu.edu/) , the [Arts Council of Brazos Valley] (http://www.acbv.org) , the city of College Station and the city of Bryan.

Richard Nira

rnira@tamu.edu