04/09 2024
Laura Rodriguez’s interactive workshop “Tasting DNA”
On August 29, the Metamedij Association organized an interactive workshop led by the Mexican multimedia artist Laura Rodriguez entitled “DNA Tasting” in the Novo gallery in Pula. The workshop took place as part of the Summer Sessions international residential program, during which Laura is exploring different forms of perception of everyday objects in our food.
In the very introduction to the workshop, Rodriguez gave a short lecture to the participants about the discovery of DNA, bioart, and then about how nucleic acid can be extracted from plants in the form of a double spiral coil, while the essence is retained in edible spheres.
For the purposes of this workshop, the participants extracted DNA from a strawberry (with the addition of a little banana, so that the final product would be sweeter) using a homemade protocol. It should also be emphasized that the final essence – strawberry DNA (mixed with Mezcal) – was edible.
The workshop is part of the Edible Notions art project that the artist is developing during her stay in Pula, in production with the association Metamedij and V2_Lab for the Unstable Media (Rotterdam), which she will present to the public at the beginning of September, and will be open to anyone who wants to have fun with science through practical processes, art and cooking in a gallery setting.
Summer Sessions are short-term international residencies for young artists and designers working at the intersection of art and technology. The Summer Sessions network of cultural organizations around the world sponsors and hosts residencies, offering support to early-career artists and designers to participate in production residencies abroad. Selected candidates develop their artistic project in a productive atmosphere with professional support, feedback and mentorship.
