MA Art and Science staff and students offered a range of creative workshops exploring observations and experimentations in art and science on Saturday 5 and 12 March, at Central Saint Martins.

From slime mould problem solving, microbial image making, nebula bottling, water mapping, microscopy inspired glass sculpting and chemigram making. Creative art and science workshops were designed for adults and young people. Young people must be 12+ and accompanied by an adult.

MA ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOP #1

Through the Looking Glass & Microbial Me

Through the Looking Glass (with Jenny Walsh)
Glass played a crucial role in enabling man to see beyond the visual eye. In this workshop discover how skilled craftsmen learned to grind glass and change its composition to revolutionise the way we investigate the microscopic world. Inspired by microscopic images each participant will be invited to create their own microscope slide using glass confetti and stringers.

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Microbial Me (with Mellissa Fisher)
Learn about the invisible world on your skin, think about your own microbes and design your own microbial portrait using a painting technique and collage. Each person will have their own microbial face to take home along with knowledge about bacteria!

MA ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOP #2

Attentive Topologies & Water Mapping

Attentive Topologies and Water Mapping (with Beckie Leach & Silvia Krupinska)
Focusing on the canal area next to Granary Square in Kings Cross (in front of Central Saint Martins), this workshop will guide you through a series of attentiveness exercises exploring sound and water. You will find out about phenomenological approaches to artistic practice and water/sound quality, and create expressive maps capturing the movement of water and sound.

MA ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOP #3

Slime Mould Boot Camp

Slime Mould Boot Camp (with Heather Barnett)
The slime mould, Physarum polycephalum, is a small brainless protozoa with surprising intelligence. Used as a model organism in many areas of scientific research it also makes for a great creative collaborator. In this workshop you will discover the fascinating role this single celled organism has to play in the cultures of science and art, and design a practical experiment to test its capabilities and problem-solving skills. Each participant will take home a new microbial pet to observe and experiment with.

MA ART AND SCIENCE WORKSHOP #4

The Chemigram Spell & Bottle Your Own Nebula

The Chemigram Spell (with Don Li & Mira Varg)
Offering some fresh air in the midst of a digital age, the workshop explores the potential of analogue photographic processes through a hands-on session, working with tools and materials that are unconventionally related to photographic processes – including paint brushes, syringes, honey and varnish. Come and experience the magic of an alternative image making process.

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Bottle Your Own Nebula (with Carla Mancillas Serna)
Nebulas are massive clouds of interstellar dust in space, mainly composed of helium and hydrogen and other chemical elements. They are also known as “stellar nurseries”. These clouds of different shapes, sizes and colours coalesce in space, collapse and give birth to stars and planetary systems, like our own solar system. Learn about how nebulae form and create your own bottled cloud inspired by the colours and textures of cosmic dust.