SYNTHENESIS WORKSHOP
TOWNHALL MEETING
octubre 1, 2025ACTIVITIES
3 September, 2025
15:00- 17:30
ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL
POSTCITY, First Floor, Workshop Space
Linz (Austria)
ABOUT
The Synthenesis workshop, led by bio-artist and designer Fara Peluso (artist selected for theTilling Roots & Seeds Production Grant), was held within the framework of Art Electronica Festival, as a participatory extension of her ongoing research on Spirulina microalgae.
This was the second time Fara conducted the workshop—the first edition took place in May at Quo Artis as a capacity-building session.
At Ars Electronica, participants were once again invited to imagine a near-future where individuals cultivate Spirulina as their own food source, reflecting on how this microalga could become part of everyday rituals—not only as nourishment, but also as an agent of care, imagination, and empowerment.
WHAT DID WE DO?
DURATION: from 3:30 to 5 PM.
During the workshop, participants explored Spirulina as both a biological resource and a speculative artifact, bridging biology, critical design, and posthumanist theory. Together they:
-
Learned how to build and maintain small-scale DIY Spirulina bioreactors.
-
Harvested Spirulina and synthesized edible alginate-based capsules through spherification techniques.
-
Reflected on broader topics such as the gut–brain connection, serotonergic systems, soft robotics, and the role of food as a relational, political, and emotional matter.
By combining hands-on experimentation with critical discussion, the workshop fostered collective practices of care and decision-making, encouraging participants to imagine new ways of integrating living organisms into everyday life.
Image by Quo Artis
