Environmental Sensing Workshop (2024)

Sensing Nature, Technoscapes of Ecologies

February 24-25, 2024

This event explores the role of emerging environmental technologies in imagining future human-nature relations. Our goal is to integrate artistic experimentation with digital technologies, expanding beyond the embodied perception of the environment and envisioning alternative human-nature dynamics. This event welcomes students, researchers, and artists interested in Art x Science methods.

We are thrilled to showcase the pioneering work of FREAK Lab, an art and research collective from Thailand. Known for their groundbreaking bio-art, FREAK Lab is anti-disciplinary cluster that converges arts, science, and technology for thinking beyond and exploring the symbiotic relationship between humans and emerging technologies. A centrepiece of their exhibition is iSnail, a bio-digital environmental sensor attaching an accelerometer and communication systems to a snail to detect the toxic compounds through the mechanical organism’s movement patterns.

Our event unfolds in two sections. The first section features a bio-art talk led by FREAK Lab’s artist Henry Tan. This follows a roundtable discussion with researchers and artists Professor Gaik Cheng Khoo, Shaq Koyok, and Tan Zi Hao. The second part consists of an interactive workshop guided by Henry Tan and Ming Tanis, inviting participants to engage in the creative process of designing and assembling their environmental sensors, blending artistic vision with environmental awareness.

This event welcomes students, researchers, and artists interested in Art x Science methods. Kindly join us for an afternoon of learning, innovation, and creativity in expanding our understanding of nature.

Workshop Schedule

Section I

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM, FREAK LAB Talk

3:45 PM - 4:15 PM, Q&A and Roundtable Discussion

4:15 PM - 4: 30 PM, Coffee Break

Section II

4: 30 PM - 6: 00 PM, Sensor-building Workshop