MaterialeX WORKSHOP with Chan'nel Vestergaard
February 26-27, 2020, 10-17h
SOLU Space, Luotsikatu 13, Helsinki

Application deadline: February 19, 2020

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What happens when matter really matters? 

Materials are ubiquitous in our life and we are increasingly interested in where they come from, the circumstances of their production as well as their afterlife. The search for materials that are easier on the environment and reduce pressure on our ecologies in comparison to products based on fossil fuel or minerals is evident.

MaterialeX is a two-day deep-dive workshop about exploring how to make materials from local waste streams. It is held in English by Chan'nel Vestergaard also known as Littlepinkmaker. Following Vestergaard's concepts of "Designing for disaster" or "Designing the disaster", the workshop will introduce the MaterialeX Kit, a selection of tried and tested recipes to learn about terminology, sustainability, material ecosystems and material production. During the workshop, we will test and expand these recipes with the matter at hand to create potential new materials and challenge ourselves with questions related to material futures.

Participants are asked to bring with them items to work with in the form of local waste material or a material they find has interesting properties. This could be banana skins, fish skins, potato peels or any other form of interesting organic waste. 

Chan'nel Vestergaard found her way into science via the DIY bio community and has hosted numerous workshops across the world engaging in a project called HEATS - History, Engineering, Art, Technology and Science, to ask important questions about who, what, where, why and how. She formed Littlepinkmaker in 2017 and was offered a seat on the global community biotechnology fellowship programme at MIT in 2018. Vestergaard's main research focuses on materials, their biological makeup and the education around materials and colouring. She frequently teaches in the context of bioart and open source science communication.

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The workshop has free entry and it can host up to 15 participants. Apply by filling in the form below by Wednesday, February 19. We will inform all applicants about the selections by Friday, February 21.