[spectre] Call for participation: FIELD_NOTES – Cultivating Ground - Kilpisjärvi Biological Station/ Finland 26. September – 2. October

[erich]

Call for professional collaborators

FIELD_NOTES - Cultivating Ground
Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in Kilpisjärvi/ Lapland/ Finland. 
26. September – 2. October 2011

Deadline 30th of June 2011

Organized by the Finnish Bioart Society in the context of the Ars
Bioarctica project together with the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.

“ Field_Notes – Cultivating Grounds” is a week long field laboratory for
theory and practice on art&science work at the Kilpisjärvi Biological
Station of the University of Helsinki in Lapland. Five working groups,
each hosted by an expert (Oron Catts, Marta de Menezes, Anu Osva, Tapio
Makela and Terike Haapoja) together with a team of four, will develop,
test and evaluate specific artistic approaches based on the interplay of
art&science. The outcome of Field_Notes will result in a publication
published by the Finnish Bioart Society in 2012. 

We warmly welcome artists, scientists and practitioners to participate
and contribute to the development of the field. 

--

“Cultivating Ground” refers to the intention of Field_Notes to develop
and strengthen art&science practice with a specific focus on the
locality of Kilpisjärvi. The local nature and ecology, as well as the
scientific environment and infrastructure of the Kilpisjärvi Biological
Station will act as a catalyst for the field work carried out. 

Field work is an activity referring to the collection of raw data.
Fieldwork is something what one does locally on the field and about the
field. It is a form of practice which cannot be done elsewhere. However
it is not opposite of theoretical work, but a crucial component of it.
One could say that the fieldwork keeps one close to the research topic.
A very similar type of practice is inherent in the arts. This is
specifically apparent with art forms that aim at creating awareness,
mobilizing the public, and working locally with people in their
environment. In these kinds of practices the artistic research,
production and implementation are happening in the field, close to the
topics and to the public the artist wants to reach. 

Practitioners, in both art and science, repeatedly argue that their
disciplines loose touch with the actual research subject or topic while
the focus is directed on lab work or gallery presentation. Field_Notes
aims to investigate and point out the importance of field work in
art&science. The fields where Field_Notes will be carried out
specifically are the subarctic nature, ecology and landscape, the lab,
the workshop, the study, the infosphere and the Field_Notes working
groups as such.

--

Groups, hosts and fields:

* Exploring the biological milieu - in search of substrates at the
sub-Arctic – hosted by Oron Catts
- in the sub-Arctic nature, in the lab and in the study
There is a growing realisation among biologist that the substrate plays
an important role in biological processes such as cell differentiation
and development. Some argue that the Extracellular matrix (ECM) and the
milieu are more significant than DNA in the development and processes of
complex organisms. This is a major shift from the reductionist
privileging of the database (the genome) towards a more complex
application of context as a major driver in engaging with our
understanding of life. We will collect materials form Kilpisjärvi and to
try and transform them into different types of substrates/biomaterials
for tissue growth, as an opening for a broader exploration concerning
the cultural importance of the biological milieu. 

* Body/ Nature relationship - hosted by Marta de Menezes
- in the sub-Arctic nature, in the lab and in the study
The Body/Nature connection refers to nature as a body, something akin to
an organism, but also to the body, our body as a sensor, part of nature
and immersed in it: an interface with the rest of nature connecting us,
linking us and transforming our relation to it. This relation, this
communication is part of what defines us as humans, as animals and as
natural. This group will try to explore the possibilities of
manipulating life, nature and our own nature to express awareness and
concepts close to the idea of nature's identity and our own in present
times. 

* Arctic Waters - hosted by Anu Osva 
- in the sub-Arctic nature, in the lab and in the study
Kilpisjärvi is an important site for research on Arctic freshwater
ecosystems. During the last few years also Finnish artists have been
involved with water ecosystem research in Kilpisjärvi, with a focus on
phytoplankton and water fleas. The group will focus on the topic of
Arctic waters through artistic, anthropological, ecological,
philosophical, geophysical and other relevant tools. It will also
reflect and process previously collected raw data, experiences and
workshop methodologies achieved during the Arctic Waters workshop held
earlier this summer. Special attention will be given to collaborative
artist and scientist lead field work in nature.

* Politics and affect of environmental computing - hosted by Tapio
Mäkelä
- in the workshop, sub-Arctic nature and amongst data sets.
Politics and affect of environmental computing looks at how researchers
and artists work with environmental data in the field and how it is post
produced to info graphics as well as into affective interfaces. What
kind of a sense and sensibility informs the data gatherer that connects
the information with a living environment? How can such contextual and
tacit experience be carried over alongside with the data? Artists,
activists and researchers are invited to bring along different kits for
sensing environmental data, yet more importantly, to engage in a field
and file note-taking experience of writing a mind map around how to make
data something to be felt. Is there perhaps a way in which affect of
environmental data may also become more political, an agent for change? 

* Laboratory Life - hosted by Terike Haapoja
- amongst the working groups and in the study
The laboratory life group does research on all the other groups. The
group will disguise itself in the form of anthropologists in order to
look at how art&science projects on the field are created. The aim is to
critically look at the methods and practices of the field and to see
whether there are ethical or aesthetic questions specific to local
practices. The group uses the tools of ecocritisism, philosophy of
science, art history, interviews and documentation. 

--

During one week the groups will organize themselves in working groups,
think tanks and workshops. They will carry out their work in the related
field environment as well as have common activities of lectures,
presentations and feedback sessions. Expected results include abstracts,
code, collaborations, data, documentation, future workshops, hardware,
ideas, knowledge, photos, presentations, prototypes, skills, sounds,
projects, videos etc. The languages used are Finnish and English

More information can bee found at http://bioartsociety.fi

--

We are looking for 20 artists, scientists and practitioners, which are
interested to develop, collaborate and work in one of the groups.

Please send your application including CV, Biography, group preference
and a max A4 letter of motivation and/or direction of possible
Field_Notes research/contribution to erich.berger at bioartsociety.fi

Deadline is the 30th of June 2011.

For the chosen collaborators Field_Notes will take care about the
expenses for a journey from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi and back, as well as
full board and accommodation at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.

Best regards

Field_Notes executive team: Erich Berger and Terike Haapoja

Field_Notes advisory board: Laura Beloff, Prof. Antero Järvinen, Anu
Osva, Antti Tenetz, Leena Valkeapää