The second encounter in the series of Splinterfields is organised by FoAM, a cultural laboratory reimagining possible futures at the interstices of art, science, nature and everyday life. FoAM is a dynamic entity that can change shape and scale as required. We can be a transdisciplinary organisation in the morning, a tightly-knit family at lunchtime, a learning facility in the afternoon, a loose bunch of philosophers in the evening and a dedicated designers’ collective by night. Most of FoAM’s activities happen in our studios – hybrids that meld together laboratories, ateliers and living rooms. We are organised as a distributed network concentrated in Europe and Australasia, with bases and nodes (people, projects and organisations) spread across the globe.

Biochymickal Arts explores emerging technological arts through the lens of preindustrial crafts and contemporary sciences. In this workshop we get our hands dirty with bio-hacking as we learn the fundamentals of biochemistry and the craft of fermentation. By entangling abstract scientific concepts with hands-on experiments, we aim to better grasp the basics of our tools and techniques, breathe new life into forgotten crafts, and viscerally experience the underlying interconnectedness of the arts, sciences and technologies.