Exploring the Life Sciences Through Art

IOTA, a Nova Scotian creative agency, developed a Bio Art outreach project featuring nine contemporary artists exploring life sciences through art.

Finding new ways to engage with the public

Thanks to a Canada Council grant, IOTA was able to collaborate with artists who engage in the life sciences to uncover new, more accessible ways to present this form of creative expression. Bio Art took elements from both art and science to create an exhibit that would transcend visual art, media art and applied science. The artists were all chosen for their unique interactions with the public and their participatory approach to creating and presenting their work.

Looking at life sciences through a creative lens

The outreach project included screenings, installations, performances, workshops and artist residencies that presented aspects of life sciences in new and creative ways. For example, one artist-in-residence, Ruth Marsh, created an original 15-minute, stop-motion sound and video piece that featured several hundred cyborg bees. The film was broadcast in a 360-degree dome that gave viewers the feeling of being inside a living, breathing beehive.