Spring Programme : Material Explorations

Material Explorations: Synthetic Biology 

At the core of any making process, materials define the limitations of design, raise questions around social and ethical manufacturing processes and create the primary interface between us and our experienced world.

In the third part of this series, Makerversity delves deeper into synthetic biology; exploring the applications and ethics of this radical technology through the lens of Pharma and Food.

Debating whether we should have unfettered access to medical information and who has the right to decide? How CRISPR is creeping into our kitchens and the ethical conundrums of lab-grown meat. Should we harvest celebrity meat and who would you want to eat?

Thursday 8th February

In our In-Vitro Feast evening we will be joined by Speculative designer David Benque, Louise Davies from the Vegan society and others to talk about the lab grown foods, their impact on society, how this industry is being regulated and how it’s disrupting the agriculture industry.

Friday 9th February

In our Bio-bodies evening we will be joined by Anna Dumitriu, Ilya Levantis, Burton & Nitta among others to talk about data privacy, who our genetic data belongs to and whether the use of personalised drugs by others should be regulated and how?

Saturday 10th February

Learn how to brew kombucha, a delicious and refreshing raw fermented tea. The 2 hour workshop by Green Lab will begin with a tasting session, after that you’ll get hands-on and be taught the process and learn how to brew your own. You’ll get to take away your very own SCOBY and starter liquid to kickstart your first batch at home.