Residents announced!
We are delighted to announce the Synthetic Aesthetics residents. Details...
Wendell Lim & Will Carey
Fernan Federici & David Benjamin
Hideo Iwasaki & Oron Catts
Sheref Mansy & Sascha Pohflepp
Christina Agapakis & Sissel Tolaas
Mariana Leguia & Chris Chafe
How would you design nature?
Synthetic Biology is a new approach to engineering biology, generally defined as the application of engineering principles to the complexity of biology. Biology has become a new material for engineering. From biological circuits made from DNA to entire systems, synthetic biology is interested in making biology something that can be designed.
Traditional engineering disciplines have tackled design by working alongside designers and developing longstanding collaborations. Synthetic Aesthetics is a research project jointly run by the University of Edinburgh and Stanford University that aims to bring together synthetic biologists, social scientists, designers, artists, and other creative practitioners, to explore collaborations between synthetic biology and the creative professions. Interaction between these two broad fields has the potential to lead to new forms of engineering, new schools of art and design, a greater social scientific understanding of science and engineering, and new approaches to societal engagement with synthetic biology.
This website provides detailed information on the project—including a call for participants for twelve residencies—and useful information on synthetic biology and its relationship to art and design. As the project develops, the site will feature the results of our work and track the collaborations we establish.
Synthetic Aesthetics is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (USA) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK).
