Bio-Xeno. An introductory workshop to microbiology and biohacking, led by Gaia Leandra and Ce Quimera

“Nothing is more queer than nature”, Brigitte Baptiste.

In this workshop Ce Quimera and Gaia Leandra propose to collectively explore the diversity of organisms in an ecosystem. To do this, we will let ourselves be inspired by the works of two scientists and thinkers, Lynne Margulis and Donna Haraway, on which the exhibition Science Friction is also based. Through biological and artistic practices, we will question how different microorganisms live and co-exist interacting with the environment. We will address ecological communities: how to define an ecosystem, how different communities maintain and generate themselves, why the human body is an ecosystem and not an individual. We will shift our anthropocentric vision, conditioned by the belief that humans are the measure of all things, to a worldly outlook that introduces the invisible: all surfaces are covered with life.

To show this invisible life, we will borrow from the techniques and practices of microbiology and biohacking, to generate means of visibility for the human eye. We will experiment with different culture media to make microorganisms grow. With the aid of microscopes and an atlas, we will observe, recognise and speculate on the single-celled organisms that make up the Protoctista kingdom. At the end of the workshop, we will visit the exhibition Science Friction together, with this new appreciation for the life that we normally do not perceive.

Dates and place : October 30 at Hangar and November 9 at the Raval hall of the CCCB
Time: October 30 : 16 – 20 h // November 9 18:30 – 20h
Participants: The activity is aimed at an audience over 16 years old. No previous knowledge is required.
Registration fee: 12 € for the 2 sessions / 8 € for children under 25 years old, retired people and large and single-parent families / Free for Friends of the CCCB, unemployed, Generalitat de Catalunya teacher’s card and retired people with the Pink Card. HERE to register.

First session contents taking place in Hangar’s wetlab

. Introduction to microbiology and lab safety.
. Explanation of the microbiome and concepts of ecology.
. Sterilisation and preparation of culture media and Petri dishes.
. Collection of microorganisms.

Second session contents

. Introduction to the world of microscopes.
. Collective recognition of species with the aid of an atlas.
. Drawing microorganisms.
. Visit to the exhibition Science Friction.

This workshop is organized in collaboration with the exhibition Science Friction at CCCB.