Workshop Statement

June 12, CCCB Aula

Within the framework of ISEA2022, the artist Samira Benini Allauoat will present “GEO-LLUM”, an artistic research project part of S+T+ARTS Residences Repairing the Present / CCCB.

The purpose of this residence is the development of a public installation/sculpture that will generate energy through collaboration with bacteria that live in the soil (Geobarcters), being in turn a device that lights up the city and a soil decontaminant.

As part of the presentation, we will develop an open talk with the artist and a group of specialists linked to the investigation. This talk will be moderated by the curator María Ptqk – Doctor in Artistic Research specializing in the intersections between art and science – who is the S+T+ARTS-CCCB advisor for the “Cities of Microorganisms” call. They will participate in the talk: Carmen Tanaka – representative of Akasha Hub – collaborating institution of the project and venue of execution of the artistic residency; Lorenzo Patuzzo, engineer specialized in industrial design; and José Carvajal Arroyo, microbiologist from the BIOE research group, a laboratory focused on studying the scientific bases and applications derived from the interactions of electroactive microorganisms.

Then we will carry out an educational workshop guided by the artist and the microbiologist José Carvajal from the Bioe Laboratory (Alcalá). This activity will explain how we can use electroactive bacteria (Geobacters) to generate electricity, through the construction and explanation of the operation of an MFC – Microbial Fuel Cell (microbial battery). This presentation will be accompanied by a graphic explanation with the fundamentals of the workshop. The public will be invited to interact, learn and see the many simple components that are part of this process.

• Samira Benini Allaouat is an interdisciplinary artist fascinated by ancient technologies and knowledge presenting new contemporary applications. She is also interested in the DIY and maker philosophy, in questioning stereotypes, behaviors and assumed social systems, in exploring new ways of deforming and combining elements, in researching and testing simple low-tech solutions to build a more resilient. With 25 years of experience in radical street art and moving image design, her favorite medium is the city. The spectrum of her artistic practice is very broad and at an international level she has worked on performances, exhibitions, editorial projects and events under different pseudonyms and also anonymously. Samira Benini delves into the paradigm shift, conveying broader aspects of the sustainability of human life and bringing a new ethical approach to art and design. Electricity in nature and automation are fundamental and recurring ideas in her artistic research. As in the work “No Plug Sound Machine”, where she wondered how to make electronic music without conventional electricity. The piece was exhibited at the Tate Modern together with his London Hack Space collective Hackoustic, at the London Urban Street Hackaton held in 2015. It was also presented at the Aberystwyth Art Center and performed in Ausland, a benchmark for underground culture and experimental music in Berlin.