February 20, 2013 - Zack Denfeld

Brian Degger (UK), Maria Joao Grade Godinho (UK), Melissa L. Caldwell (US) - Nomadic Science BioHackLab

Prague

As part of Mutamorphosis 2012, Nomadic Science BioHackLab hosted a pre-conference workshop with invited artists, hackers, philosophers and cooks to connect old and new lab equipment, spaces, and protocols, and define methodologies of nomadic science.

Zack Denfeld, an artist and co-founder of The Center for Genomic Gastronomy interviewed Brian Degger (scientist leading many workshops within which frame he uses scientific and open source methodologies to creatively explore research such as DIYBiology, bacterial cultivation, accessible technology and open source science), Maria Joao Grade Godinho (currently an Honorary Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Economic & Social Research Council Genomics Policy and Research Forum at the University of Edinburgh) and Melissa L. Caldwell (an anthropology professor of University of California, where she also directs food studies research group). They explained their background, the reasons why they came to Nomadic Science BioHackLab, what was happening in Vzorkovna (multifunctional bar space in Prague’s Old Town). Lastly they all agreed that dragging scientists out, pulling artists in and really blurring these boundaries is crucial.

One of the things that I am fascinated by here is how are those boundaries between what is real and not real, what is authentic and inauthentic and what is art and science are being blurred and pushed and I think it is really important for food studies more generally.