Concept

Overview | Concept | DIYbio | Workshops | Exhibition | Evaluation | Conclusion

Early on, we had the idea to work with a group of DIYbiologists (citizen scientists in molecular biology). We quickly found a group of Biohackers based in the London Hackspace, and so we initiated contact at the end of May. Our original concept was to work with the group on an add-on component to our own project. We quickly got excited about the possibility of doing this over a one week workshop in an art gallery, where we would build a temporary laboratory visible from the street. To take this further, we successfully applied for UCL's Beacon Bursary. Working on the application led us to consider our "audience" and evaluation much more carefully. It was clear that the most important target group was the handful of Biohackers themselves. Due to this and due to the great complexity, cost and difficulty in regulations, we decided to abandon the gallery lab concept and instead split the work into two workshops - one in the Hackspace and one at UCL. To reach a wider public audience, we instead hosted an exhibition reflecting on the collaboration.