G-netwerk; Art documentarists for

Jennifer Willet InsideOut: Laboratory Ecologies Banff National Park, 2009 Photo: Don Lee

Jennifer Willet
2011

In it’s culmination, INCUBATOR Hybrid Laboratory at the Intersection of Art, Science and Ecology will result in the construction of a portable laboratory that will be transported into the Canadian Rocky Mountains – as a hybrid expedition into the Canadian wilderness – and into uncharted biotechnological territories.  This event will include a variety of university level researchers, students, international artists engaging in biotechnological workshops in an outdoor lab.  This expedition will also include a documentary video crew – allowing for the artist to share with the general public a different view of the place of biotechnology in our society – or rather the place of biotechnology in the evolution of life on this planet – and our role as a single instigator organism in this complex process.

- 2 week Bioart event hosted in collaboration with The Banff Centre for the Arts in 2011.  1 week on Banff Campus, and 1 week at the portable Bioart lab in the mountains.

- Between 12, and 20 participants.  8 artists and Scientists, plus support (filmmakers, guide, assistants.)

- Thematically, I wish to bring the biotech ‘laboratory ecology’ in direct contact with the external ecology – playing heavily on the backdrop of the Canadian Rocky Mountains – and motifs/histories of back country exploration, mountain ecologies, and the wild west.

- Towards the demystification and democratization of biotechnology – within the context of larger ecological considerations.

- With full attention to health and Safety considerations and respect for the delicate ecology of Banff National Park.

INCUBATOR is grateful for support from the following SSHRC Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and The Banff Centre for the Arts for this project.