Baltan Laboratories

Description

Baltan initiates experimentation on the crossroads of art, design, science and technology, evoking inquisitive ideas and insights by bridging the gaps between disciplines. The lab functions as a collaborative mindset and network, connecting curious individuals and organisations

Organisation

By placing art and design research at the core of its activities, Baltan explores the implications, promises and pitfalls of our technological society. Baltan translates these ideas into different outputs, including collaborations, events, workshops, storytelling, publications and expos, creating a space for reflection, research and experimentation.

Program

The program at Baltan is divided into three main topics: Homo Economicus considers man primarily as an economic being, satisfying his needs in an efficient, rational and logical manner. Homo Socialis investigates the tension between the individual and the collective. Homo Sensorium explores the blurring borders between the synthetic and organic, the real and the virtual, the human and machine, sense and perception. Besides our three main topics, we have an incubator called Seeds, a place to test and explore ideas for potential new Baltan topics.

By developing a research and residency program, Baltan functions as a space for research, development and co-creation. We allow national and international artists to reflect and experiment on the influence of technology on the artistic, political and social field.

Current resident

15th of January until 26th of February 2021.

Artists/designers Teresa Feldmann (NL) and Seira Uchida (JP)

Teresa Feldmann (NL) graduated from The Royal Academy of Art, where she obtained a Master of Art in Industrial Design. Her research revolves around the notion of unpaid care labour, shedding light on an obscure and overlooked part of our economic system. In her work she focusses on low tech sustainability of adjusting habits and mindsets, while questioning the unintelligible technoscientific solutionism often practiced in industrial design. Seira Uchida (JP) is a conceptual performance artist and researcher, also describes herself as a contemporary bender. She graduated from the Institute of Advanced Media and Science in Japan, where she obtained her Masters in Media Creation. Uchida sees the game space as a new alternative space where filtering and censorship can be avoided.

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