Ionat Zurr

Growing for different ends

Tissue engineering and regenerative biology are usually discussed in relation to biomedical research and applications. However in the last decade we witness a shift; there is a growing interest in exploring spin-off tissue engineering and regenerative biology technologies for other ends, such as consumer products, art and design.  We refer to these as Neolife (technologically created, manipulated and/or fragmented life forms).

This talk will outline these developments in areas such as in vitro meat and leather, actuators and bio machine interfaces, speculative design and contemporary artistic practices. 

I would draw on the extensive experience of using tissue engineering for non-medical ends to speculate about what lead to these applications and their possible future development and applications. Avoiding utopian and dystopian postures, this talk will highlight some philosophical and ethical consideration stemming from new technological approaches to life in relating fields such as synthetic biology.

Ionat Zurr

Dr. Ionat Zurr is an artist and a researcher at SymbioticA, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia. Her pioneering work with the Tissue Culture and Art Project established in 1996 is considered a leading biological art project.  Her research explores our changing relations with life both as hands-on and a conceptual pursuit. Ionat is a Visiting Professor at BiofiliA - Base for Biological Art and Design, at the School of Art, Design and Architecture, Aalto University, Helsinki. She exhibited and published widely in places such as the MoMA NY, Mori Museum Tokyo, Ars Electronica, Linz, GOMA Brisbane and more.