Artists in business

Bringing artistic practice into other spheres of society means living up to the idea of an urban neighborhood with mixed activities where synergies are welcome.

© Floriane Biner

The cultural management of bluefactory organizes 3 ‘artist placements’ each year in institutes, laboratories and companies located in the bluefactory neighborhood. Bringing artistic practice into other spheres of society means living up to the idea of an urban neighborhood with mixed activities where synergies are welcome.

Artist in Business is a thematic cycle of the platform CENT (culture and entrepreneurship) as part of bluefactory’s “Extended culture” concept. This offer is possible thanks to the financial support of the City of Fribourg.

In 2022, three artistic positions were realized:

1) Floriane Biner & BCC

Floriane Biner, freelance graphic designer from the Valais and 3D artist at L’Abri Genève, in residence at the Biofactory Competence Center (BCC). The BCC located at the Halle Bleue offers theoretical and practical training, services, research collaborations and designs modular infrastructures for the production of biopharmaceuticals – a laboratory in all its splendor, to put on the gloves and the protective glasses!

Floriane discovered a world full of protocols, machines and precautions and brought these notions into her artistic universe, to offer another vision of science and the challenges that revolve around the manipulation of living organisms. The images are created with a software and are purely imaginary! Visuals © Floriane Biner

2) Josephine De Weck & R.O.S.A.S

“For you, what is a good day? Having met 6 engineers working on an automated car project initiated by the ROSAS competence center (Robust and Safe Systems), I ask them to talk to me about artificial intelligence, autonomy or even their dreams. Through the prism of this object of the future on which they spend their weeks, an impression of the world of today and tomorrow emerges.”

Link of the interviews, editing by Joséphine de Weck

3) Julie Folly / Ysé Avolio & Swiss Bier Museum

Like the fermentation process, the residency of photographer Julie Folly and food processing specialist Ysé Avolio with her business ‘Moonlight Kombucha’ takes time. Their creation of a mega-scooby and a photo series that accompanies this process is the initiation of the FERMENTARIUM project, a space for food experimentation that will be an extension of the Museum of Beer in the long term, adding a lively layer in this museum in full transformation.

The exhibition of works by Julie Folly and Ysé Avolio will take place in March 2023 in the FERMENTARIUM at the Swiss Bier Museum.

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS 2023

Upstream processing, cell banking, seed train development… Does this sound interesting to become part of your artistic practice? What can art bring to the world of research? How to collaborate?

The call includes a 2- or 3-day residency in one of the laboratories, companies or organisations (to be defined) at bluefactory and a free artistic interpretation/artistic response, accessible for a larger public. A fee of CHF 1,750 will be provided, as well as per diem, travel and accommodation costs if necessary. The exact dates will be confirmed with the partner entities. All disciplines are welcome.

The call includes a residency of two to three days in one of the partner entities (to be defined) on site and a free artistic interpretation/response, accessible to a wider audience. Fees of CHF 1,750.- will be provided, as well as per diem, travel and accommodation costs if necessary. The exact dates will be confirmed with the partner entities. All disciplines are welcome.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please send a short motivation letter and an overview of your artistic practice (link, website, documentation etc.) by email to: culture@bluefactory.ch