GMU:Winning natural habitats

Mindaugas Gapsevicius & Klaus Fritze Thursdays, 9.15-12.30

We will start with rainwater and semi-controlled environments populated by selected organisms. Particular attention will be paid to the transient relationships between individual species and their environment. As we track changes in the semi-controlled environment, we will learn how to work with photosynthetic organisms. We will also try to understand empirically how the environment affects individual species and how individual species affect the environment. Questions to be answered include: Could the use of populated water puddles clean the air? How do different pH levels affect organisms and their environment? How do individual species change the environment?

As we learn to take practical care of our wet environment and conduct artistic research, we will develop our ideas and slowly turn them into artworks. The experiments will be documented in detail in a wiki that will serve as the basis for our weekly discussions and as a means of evaluating the course work.

The course is designed for the use of a wide range of tools, including laboratory and techno-scientific tools. We will be working with rainwater as well as cooking our own media. During our experiments we will conduct field research, use our DIY bio lab and seminar room as needed.

Part of the course is a block workshop Ecosystem services with environmental scientist Outi Wahlroos (FI). Ecosystem services is a concept developed to acknowledge the services which nature can offer humans. The aim has been to raise awareness of the fact that without a nurturing and healthy environment, humans do suffer. The workshop is scheduled for April 18-20.