Ars Bioarctica

The Bioart Society hosts currently two regular residency programmes: Ars Bioarctica residency programme and biannual Field_Notes field camp. All the open calls can be found on this page.

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Bioart Society is the motor behind Ars Bioarctica which is a long term art&science initiative with a focus on the sub-arctic environment. It was started in autumn 2008 together with the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki. Ars Bioarctica fosters projects between artists and scientists to develop new kind of scientific and artistic thinking and through this participate and contribute to the discussion on the relation of humankind and nature. It is located in Kilpisjärvi, the most Northern part of Finland.

The activities of Ars Bioarctica encompass the Ars Bioarctica residency programme, the Field_Notes field laboratories, specific workshops and educational services for University programs.

Ars Bioarctica residency programme has an open call once a year. There are 4 residency periods length of 2 or 4 weeks in different seasons of the year. We welcome applications from artists of any dicipline and stages of professional career. 

Field_Notes is an art&science field laboratory at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station in Lapland, Finland. Five groups work for one week in the sub-Arctic Lapland to develop, test and evaluate specific interdisciplinary approaches on questions located above the ground.

Events
Synthetic landscapes of vibrant...
Oscar Martín presents a parallel sound work that he conceptualised and pre-produced during an Ars Bioarctica residency at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.
Guest post | Oscar Martin | 7 March 2023
2020: The Walk
2020: The Walk is an art and activist project during which Marta Moreno Muñoz and Oscar Martín travelled from Granada to Helsinki mostly on foot. The project ended at Kilpisjärvi Biological Station where Moreno Muñoz and Martín spent two weeks in Ars Bioarctica residency.
Guest post | 2020: The Walk | 15 February 2023
13 artists and practitioners selected...
A diverse and multidisciplinary group of fellows selected for Ars Bioarctica residency for 2023.
18 January 2023
Magnetotactic bacteria and...
Artist and researcher Ruta Spelskyte spent her Ars Bioarctica residency collecting sediments in the hope to find magnetotactic bacteria.
Guest post | Ruta Spelskyte | 16 December 2022
Maria Lepistö and aRzu selected for...
North Escaping residencies are transdisciplinary research residencies taking place at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.
8 December 2022
Jacek Smolicki selected for the North...
North Escaping residencies are transdisciplinary research residencies taking place at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.
24 November 2022
Till Bovermann selected for the...
Till Bovermann will contribute to the Science Trails residency by creating an interactive digital sound walk.
26 October 2022
Ars Bioarctica Open Calls
Three residency open calls at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station.
Guest post | Genietta Varsi | 18 May 2022
With Mountain Birches on the Tree...
Writing these notes at the summer solstice in Helsinki, a week after returning from a two-week residency at the biological station in Kilpisjärvi.
Guest post | Annette Arlander | 23 June 2021
interactions
During our stay in Kilpisjärvi we were learning from the local environment and plants growing around Saana.
Guest post | Laura Kaker | 20 June 2021
listening - laboratory
As we were working in the laboratory at the station we read on one of the cupboard doors: "FUTILITY FACTOR: No experiment is ever a complete failure, it can always serve as a negative example." 
Guest post | Laura Kaker | 12 June 2021
hibernation - phases of waters
A strangely interdependent relationship. 
Guest post | Laura Kaker | 7 June 2021