SOFT CONTROL RESIDENCY: Spring Sessions #3
20th April – 10th of May 2015, Hangar, Spain
The jury of Soft Control – Grid Spinoza – Spring Sessions # 3 programme has selected the project “EXOglands radical dynamics: fluid, tissues & bloody self-aware enhancement bionicLAB” by Klau O.jamett for the residency programme Spring Sessions #3. The selection of the project was done thorugh an open call.
Short description of the project:
Extreme own-body cognition, Anarchagland (female eyaculation) & male prostate, decolonial anatomy of pleasure. Unveil taboos with DIY biolab techniques, DIT science & medical hacks reverse engineering. A transdisplinary collaboration based on health issues of colectives who have been marginalized by the desensitized treatment of anything deemed promiscuous & contentious. Grassroots sexual politics empowerment.
This residency is part of the project Soft Control funded by the European Commission through the programme Culture 2007 – 2013.
More information about the project here.
SOFT CONTROL RESIDENCY: Hangar – MMSU
25th of January – 25th of March 2015, Rijeka, Croatia
Hangar’ s artist in residence Laura Llanelli has been selected to carry out a residency from the 25th of January to the 25 of March 2015 at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art – MMSU (Rijeka, Croacia) in the framework of the European project Soft Control. During the residency Llanelli will develop the project Dispersion ¿____?.
Dispersion ¿____? is the title of an unfinished project that aims to dismantle a finished sound piece, searching for new forms determined by new locations and contexts. It proposes an investigation on the different ways of listening that sound defragmentation can offer as well as to question issues like building’s acoustics or the new audience perceptions generated by involving different style bands.
During her residency at MMSU Laura Llaneli set up a blog where she explains the development of the project she was carrying out in her two months residency in Rijeka.
Check it out at:
http://laurallaneli.tumblr.com/
SOFT CONTROL RESIDENCY: Spring Sessions #2
20th of June to the 18th of July 2014, Hangar, Barcelona, Spain
Boryana Rossa’s project “The Mirror of Faith” was granted in the framework of the second edition of “Spring Sessions“ programme.
“The Mirror of Faith” is a bio-art project, meant to provoke critical public dialogue about genetic research, exposing some issues this technology and its political and commercial promotion creates. The project is related to the research of the molecular biologist Dean Hamer on genetic predisposition of human spirituality. In his book, The God Gene, Hamer claims that the VMAT2 gene encodes for a protein (brain chemical) that affects self-transcendence, spirituality or faith. A specific mutation in the DNA of intron 7 upstream of the VMAT2 gene coding sequence is thought to be related to people who have faith or spirituality.
Initial attention was caught by the media representation of this research and the controversies it contained. To reflect the central issue of embodiment and the harsh juxtaposition within nature/nurture argument, presented in media, we decided to create a literal illustrationof these controversies. We decided to produce a genetically modified Transcendental Bacteria of Faith. We thought that by genetically modifying the two basic organisms in life, bacteria and yeast, with the god gene (science), that is associated with high levels of spirituality and faith (religion) we could create the perfect juxtaposition to spotlight the controversies and ignite discussion and critical thought once again. Involvement with this “absurd scenario” is a re-thinking of the notion of “genetically predisposed faith,” but also “faith” or “belief” in the media representation of science and religion.
During her residency at Hangar, Boryana Rossa has been working with Dr. Michael Edel and Dr. John Gibling in the premises of the Pluripotency Laboratory of Universitat de Barcelona.
“The Mirror of Faith” is a project developed in the framework of Hangar’ Spring Session #2 –Grid Spinoza programme and the project Soft Control, which has the support of the European Commission.