UTOPIAN PRACTICES
19 March 2009

WAY BACK

WHY?
Fast changes in information architectures and the rapid
innovation cannot be channelled anymore through old
methodologies, as they are too slow. The old role of the
university and text as the generator of new ideas does not
longer work in isolation. The fast cycles of iteration of designers
and artists (brainstorms with very different people, concepts,
prototypes, scenarios of prototypes with real users) and the
intuitive ideas of artists who can draw from a history of centuries
of ideas, should be taken into account together with the
knowledge of the technical developers and the content
specialists that are masters of their fields of knowledge.
Summit on New Media Art, Policy and Practice
Singapore 24-26 July

LIVING LABS
There is a growing awareness that to stay ahead of competition
and to deal with societies diverse needs, companies,
governments and institutions have to search for and implement
new ways of innovation. Models in which monolithic knowledge
silos compete on a small scale are no longer sufficient in a
highly connected world in search of meaning. Ideas and
concepts need collaboration with and participation of many
disciplines, many of which are not to be found within a single
agency, company or department. What is needed is, simply put,
collaboration. But how do we achieve mutually beneficial
collaboration when people speak different languages, histories,
protocols and values? How do they get to understand each
other and work from what each participant has to bring to mutual
goals – when they succeed to find it? Which practices and tools
can help us to speed up the pace of innovation?

CREATIVE RESEARCH
Collaborations between
- Designers
- Programmers
- Users
- Artists
- Scientists
Publish or Perish / Demo or Die

GOTO10: MESHY
Fall 2007

SCOTTIE
2006/2008

PICNIC LABS
2008

Green City Lab

ADAM ZARETSKY
This is a document of my first attempt at embryonic transplant surgery. Unfortunately, this is
a tribute to the process of trial and error, not a successful transplant operation. If you decide to
explore this craft at home, remember to be very patient. It is a difficult and tedious process
that demands dexterity and concentration. It also helps to have a mild to potent morbid streak
and the ability to deal with a high degree of failure.
Strains:
10 Zebrafish Embryos, 19 Hours After Insemination
Materials:
1 Dissection Microscope 40X
A Variety of MicroSurgical Tools
Initially, my plan was to cut the head off of one growing zebrafish embryo and transplant (paste)
that head onto another ‘whole’ zebrafish embryo. Done correctly, this might develop into a
two-headed, fleshy and fashionable, ‘Mosaic Brut’ designer zebrafish.
View more of his work at http://www.emutagen.com/

RESULT
VALORISATION
Intellectual Work in
Prototypes
Property Phd’s
progress
RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT
Exhibits
Patents
Papers
Experiments
Performances Methods
Conversations
Publications
Media
Public
Interventions

SOME BOLD STATEMENTS
Scientists generate knowledge
Artists generate meaning
Artists want new tools, new practices,
new materials, new media
Scientists need visualizations, critique and
questions that stretch the boundaries
Humanities need scientists to be able to reason
& come to grasp with beta sciences again

UTOPIAN PRACTICES
Where do art and science meet?
One day seminar, 19th of March in de Waag,
Nieuwmarkt 4
Collaboration between Arts and Genomics Center,
Virtual Knowledge Studio (KNAW) and Waag Society
Prior reservation necessary due to intimate setting;
public announcement coming soon

• Rob Zwijnenberg
• Susan Kennard – BNMI
Programme
• Beatriz da Costa
SPEAKERS UTOPIAN PRACTICES
19th of March 2009

Contact
frank@waag.org
+31 20 557 9898