Art as We Don’t Know It invites readers into the fascinating world of bioart

What worlds are revealed when we listen to alpacas, make photographs with yeast or use biosignals to generate autonomous virtual organisms? Bioart is a cross-disciplinary field of art that uses tools from the life sciences to examine the materiality of life. It investigates life in its broadest sense; as it happens within us, around us, in animals, nature, deep time, virtual realms and outer space. Bioart addresses the collision of natural and artificial, and makes visible tensions between human, nature and machine. 

A cross-section of bioart research and art

The latest Aalto ARTS Books publication, Art as We Don’t Know It, presents a richly illustrated selection of artworks along with essays and peer-reviewed articles that contribute to the academic discourse on bioart. The book features interviews and case studies which illustrate how scientists and artists come together; how knowledge is shared, collaborations developed, new generations educated and artworks curated. The book introduces the reader to the astonishing breadth of techniques and approaches that are used in bioart practice, including gene editing with CRISPR, artificial intelligence, nuclear technologies, solar cells, microbiological cultures and virtual reality. 

In collaboration with the Bioart Society and Biofilia at Aalto University

The book was produced in collaboration with the Bioart Society and the Biofilia laboratory at Aalto University. It showcases art and research that has grown and flourished within these networks during the previous decade. The book is a tantalising and invaluable indicator of trends, visions and impulses in the field. It features a foreword by curator and art historian Mónica Bello.

Art as We Don’t Know It brings together leading bioart theorists and practitioners:
Bartaku, Laura Beloff, Ida Bencke, Crystal Bennes, Erich Berger, Oron Catts & Ionat Zurr, Heather Davis, Elaine Gan & Terike Haapoja, Andy Gracie, Rian Ciela Visscher Hammond, Paula Humberg, Antero Kare, Denisa Kera, Mari Keski-Korsu, Adriana Knouf, Jurij Krpan, Teemu Lehmusruusu, lifepatch, Pia Lindman, Lauri Linna, Kristiina Ljokkoi & Tomi Slotte Dufva, Marta de Menezes & Luís Graça, Kasperi Mäki-Reinikka, Anu Osva, Margherita Pevere, Marietta Radomska & Cecilia Åsberg, Kira O'Reilly, Johanna Rotko, Markus Schmidt & Nediljko Budisa, Helena Sederholm, Christina Stadlbauer, Ulla Taipale, Antti Tenetz, Ian Ingram & Theun Karelse, Leena Valkeapää and Paul Vanouse.

The free pdf-version of the book is available to download at our online shop:
https://shop.aalto.fi/p/1194-art-as-we-dont-know-it/#pid=1