This website uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some of these cookies are used for visitor analysis, others are essential to making our site function properly and improve the user experience. By using this site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Click Accept to consent and dismiss this message or Deny to leave this website. Read our Privacy Statement for more.
Join us as we continue to explore the transformative practices emerging from biolabs in higher arts education institutions.
Building on our previous webinar—which navigated the practicalities of setting up technologically advanced bio lab spaces and questioned their roles—we now turn our attention to the creative and material experiments unfolding within these environments. This session will spotlight pioneering art academies that have established (bio)-labs as dynamic sites of research and learning, where new material practices are redefined and reimagined.
The goal of the upcoming webinar is to examine what is happening within these new learning environments. Specifically, it will explore how material research takes place, the insights gained, and the challenges and opportunities that emerge from these new creative practices.
Different art schools are seeking ways to guide and inform students on how to make and work with these living and biological systems. What kinds of material knowledge are being developed, and what can we learn from these initiatives? How do we equip students with the skills needed to respond to climate crisis and sustainability issues as makers, artists, and designers?
ETHO Online Takeaways
Learn what happens in the lab and the types of research being conducted.
Find out how the lab connects to the curriculum and what new courses are being developed.
Discuss how the research is applied and what the future holds for biolabs.
Hear from experts from Future Materials Bank at Jan van Eyck Academie, The Living Library at Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) and Laboratorium at KASK / School of Arts Ghent as they share their insights and experiences:
María Boto Ordóñez is a researcher at KASK / School of Arts of University College Ghent, focusing on sustainable colour production and its application in the arts. Her current research project, Ecology of Colour, explores the intersection of nature and art by studying the foundations of structural colour generation and translating them into sustainable, practical materials. In addition to her research, Maria leads Laboratorium, the experimental lab for art, design, and biotechnology at KASK. This space allows students and researchers to explore scientific materials and methods within their artistic practices.
Julia Ihls is an interdisciplinary researcher and designer working at the intersection of material philosophy, media theory, and spatial staging. Since April 2021, she has been head of the Bio Design Lab at HfG Karlsruhe, where she teaches, curates, and researches new (bio-)materials and convivialism. Her dissertation Labmospheres at Technical University of Munich explores transdisciplinary lab structures through international case studies. Building on this, she is developing the TUM Bioregional Design Lab, an evolving platform for collaboration with local partners using regional resources.
Dorieke Schreurs is the interim coordinator of the Future Materials Lab at Jan van Eyck Academie, supporting artists and designers in adopting sustainable practices. Central to the Lab is the Future Materials Bank, an online resource with over 465 non-toxic, circular materials. In 2022, she was among the first Future Materials Fellows at the Jan van Eyck Academie, conducting research on biodegradable alternatives to acrylic paint. As an artist, researcher, and educator, her practice focuses on natural pigments, binders, and sustainable materials for large-scale production.
Aldje van Meer is a senior lecturer at the Willem de Kooning Academy, where she teaches, researches, and integrates technological innovations into creative education. She advises on curriculum development, coordinates professional growth within the stations, and supervises research through making. Her work explores the role of ICT and media technology in undergraduate art education, with published research on the topic. She also organises network meetings, lectures, and events to address emerging developments in art and technology.
Please note that live closed captioning will be available during the event. If you have any other accessibility questions or concerns, please get in touch with the ELIA Conference Manager, Janja Škerget at janja.skerget@elia-artschools.org.
María Boto Ordóñez is a researcher at 
Julia Ihls is an interdisciplinary researcher and designer working at the intersection of material philosophy, media theory, and spatial staging. Since April 2021, she has been head of the 
Dorieke Schreurs is the interim coordinator of the Future Materials Lab at 
Aldje van Meer is a senior lecturer at the 
