The Living Station Lab

The Living Station Lab is the research laboratory connected to the stations within the Willem de Kooning Academy.  In the Lab, which is located at Wijnhaven 01.118, we are questioning practices within arts and design. At the core of our activities, we are investigating how to make and collaborate with ‘living’ and biological systems. The intersection of art, design, and biology provides a fertile ground for creative exploration and critical reflection on the relationship between humans, nature and technology. These interdisciplinary fields emerged in the mid-20th century and continue to evolve and expand.

Students get introduced to collaborating with living ecosystems and get acquainted with topics regarding:

• Biomimicry – our post on this topic HERE and more references in our archive
• Biomaterials and biofabrication – see post HERE 
• Biophilic and regenerative design.
  

The Living Station Lab is a learning environment with facilities and technologies to investigate and experiment with different microorganisms. We have microscopes, a biosafety cabinet,  incubators, an autoclave, and all the materials needed to work safely in the lab. We also have books to be consulted in our space.

Station Skills

“Welcome to the Living Station” is a requirement when you want to work by yourself in the lab. These Station Skills teach you the basics of how to work with micro-organisms. Have a look at the other Stations Skills we offer.

Individual consultation

If you are wondering about what can be done in our lab, you can look at projects done there by students.

Some examples include bioplastics, mycelium materials, bacterial dyes, and bacterial cellulose, which generate ways to design for and think with other organisms.

You are welcome to visit us and share your project with us. We can facilitate and help you.

Check the lab planning or send an email.

The lab is usually open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 

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