PEOPLE

Sachiko Hirosue works as a researcher at the interface of biomaterials and lymphatic physiology in the Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences at EPFL. Her interests in bio art derives from the encounter at the Subtle Technologies Festival (Toronto, Canada), which she co-chaired from 2005-2008. She is currently active with hackteria, an international network of artists, scientists, and hackers working on Open Source Biological Art Projects.

Robin Scheibler is a doctoral candidate in Computer and Communication Science at EPFL. During his internship in Japan, he was active in the safecast project, to crowdsource and map radiation levels after the Tsunami in March 2011.

Prof. Rizlan Bernier-Latmani is a geomicrobiologist whose main interests include microbe-mineral interactions. Particularly, she studies microbially-mediated transformations of metals as a strategy to clean-up contaminated water and sediments. She has worked extensively on uranium and chromium biotransformations. She heads the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory at EPFL.

Prof. Melanie Blokesch is heading the Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology at EPFL. In the lab we are interested is the evolution of pathogenic bacteria with an emphasis on horizontal gene transfer between Vibrio cholerae strains. In addition, we recently started some more epidemiology-oriented projects both in Haiti (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Andrea Rinaldo (ECHO, ENAC, EPFL) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Andrea Rinaldo (EPFL), Prof. Dr. Didier Bompangue (Kinshasa, DRC) and Dr. Silvan Vesenbeckh (Harvard& Berlin). 

 

 

Prof. Jan van der Meer. My primary interest is the environment, the quality of our living resources and the ways that bacteria can help to manage and degrade human wastes and restore environmental health. Consequently, I am very interested in genetic adaptation processes in bacteria, the mechanisms by which they deal with toxic substances, how they react to pollution in general, including arsenic, and how we can apply microbial processes in a useful way (like bacterial bioreporters).

 

 

 

Lifepatch is an independent community-based organization that works in a creative and effective applications in the fields of art, science and technology. In its activities, lifepatch approach focuses on the arts and education in science and technology that is useful for the community. This is done through the development of creative and innovative in technology such as biological technology, environment technology and digital technology. In practice lifepatch culture emphasizes the spirit of DIY (Do It Yourself) and DIWO (Do It With Others) by inviting members and anyone involved to examine, explore, develop and maximize the function of technology in both the theoretical and practical use to society and culture itself. With the spirit and activities, lifepatch expect to be able to stimulate the emergence of a new pattern and a straightforward system of individual creative processes and the interactions between individuals in a series of interdisciplinary community work.
 

Agus 'Timbil' Tri Budiarto is Agus Tri Budiarto is a farmer, scientist and yoga masters. He graduated from University of National Development Veteran (UPN-Veteran) majoring in chemical engineering. He has been active with local community practices of Yogyakarta since 2003, focussing his activities as a citizen scientist concerning local ecology issues and biopunk movements. He is the original co-creator of IB:SC, an art and scicence collaboration project on safe wince fermentation method with Microbiology Department UGM which receive the Transmediale awards in 2011. In 2012 he co-founded lifepatch an interdisciplinay community-based organization focussing on art, science and technology.

Nur Akbar Arofatullah was born in Yogyakarta on August 17, 1987. Currently he is an active researcher in the Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada University under the guidance of Ir. Donny Widianto, Ph.D. and Ir. Irfan D. Prijambada, M. Eng, PhD as a student S2 Biotechnology. Several field studies conducted by Akbar include:  Sweet Sorghum juice ethanol fermentation for feedstock, Mycorrhiza Fungi Growing in In-Vitro Arbuskula, Feed Forage Fermentation, Microbial Fuel Cell, as well as the propagation of microbial cells on a large scale. In addition to obtaining a degree S2, Akbar conducted a studies as a form of devotion to the community and also for his personal curiosity. In addition to conducting research in the laboratory, Akbar also works as a consultant in several Biological fertilizer plant.

Andreas Siagian is an internet troll, a cross disciplinary artist with an engineering background focussing on interactive programming, DIY electronics and interdisciplinary collaboration in art, science and technology. Since 2004, he is working in community-base initiatives to produce installations, workshops, lectures and organizing events as well as festivals in Indonesia. His collaborative actions with the local creative community developments included him as a co-founder of several initiatives such as breakcore_LABS, a platform for experimental audiovisual performance;  urbancult.net, an online street art documentation and mapping for Indonesia and lifepatch.org – citizen initiative for art, science and technology, an independent community-based organization working in creative and appropriate application in the fields of art, science and technology.

 

(Art)ScienceBLR's work is at intersection of art-science and pedagogy, creating spaces of dialogue and interaction between artists, designers and scientists.
Since 2009, the group has focused on building low-tech laboratories and low cost equipment, making it easier for outsiders to explore the life-sciences.
Their work has been awarded prizes and recognition in both the arts and the science contexts.

(Art)ScienceBLR has been supported by the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore
The National Center For Biological Sciences, Bangalore, and the TATA group.

Yashas Shetty is an artist and educator based in Bangalore. He is currently an Artist in Residence and faculty at the Centre For Experimental Media Arts at Srishti in Bangalore and an artist in residence the National Centre For Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore. His practice explores working between various disciplines including installation, sound, software and biotechnology. The work he produces is situated between the arts and the sciences, creating situations of dialogue between scientists, artists and the larger community. He has conducted workshops and taught in colleges in India and abroad. In 2007, he helped start the Centre for Experimental Media Arts at Srishti. He is currently working on developing an open source framework and community for artists and designers working with living organisms.