Talking and Living with an Indigo Vat: Ongoing Research on Interspecies Communication between Bacteria and Humans
A relaxed presentation to meet and talk about the indigo tradition and hear more about Bioclub’s community, research and practices.
During the Residency, I will be working with interspecies communication around the indigo color tradition in Japan, its processes (e.g., foraging, growing, fermenting and dyeing). I will shortly present my background and ongoing research on encounters between bacterias, more-than-humans and humans. I am interested in the stories about indigo, how people talk to the vat and finding a way to communicate (through sound, touch, ph and temperature variations) with it while creating it. This conversation with indigo is about attempts and stories, I am looking forward to learning, sharing and discussing those encounters!
About Lau
Lau Kaker (they/them) is an artist and curator from Belgium based in Helsinki, Finland. They have worked with and are an active member of the Bioart Society and Maa-Tila in Helsinki. They have a BA from ERG Brussels focusing on Fine Arts and Anthropology, did an exchange at Uniarts Helsinki, and are finishing their MA in Curating and Art, with a Textile minor at Aalto University Helsinki. They are working with intersections between anthropology, interspecies relationships, queer theories and artistic practices. Lau’s research is collaboration based and rooted in Finland, investigating foraging and craft practices as different forms of correspondences with more-than-humans. During previous encounters, Lau has been growing knowledge beyond the boundaries of species, exploring connections with bacterias, sheep, fungi, plants, landscapes and waters. In this ongoing research, they wish to further research the concepts of domestication, place-making and belonging, weaving a wider understanding of communication between humans and the Land.
This event is part the the Finnish Art & Science Residency, organised by the Finnish Institute in Japan, The Finnish BioArt Society and BioClub Tokyo.
