Anna Dumitriu Blog

16th August 2022

“Zenexton” (2022) is a contemporary amulet to ward off disease. In around 1570 Theophrastus Paracelsus coined the mysterious term Zenexton, to mean an amulet that would be worn around the neck and protect the wearer from the plague. Until that time amulets had a more general purpose of warding off (unspecified) disease, rather like the […]

1st April 2020

This 1665 style “Plague Dress” (2018) is made from raw silk, hand-dyed with walnut husks in reference to the famous herbalist of the era Nicholas Culpeper who recommended walnuts as a treatment for Plague. The dress is appliqued with original 17th century embroideries which Anna Dumitriu has impregnated with the DNA of Yesinia pestis bacteria […]

29th March 2023

“ArchaeaBot: A Post Climate Change, Post Singularity Life-form” (2018-19) is an underwater robotic installation by Anna Dumitriu and Alex May that explores what ‘life’ might mean in a post-singularity and post-climate change future. Based on new research on archaea (a group of unicellular micro-organisms believed to be the oldest form of life on earth adapted […]

4th July 2023

Uninhibited Faba (2023) takes the form of a series of artworks that explore the history and future of the humble faba bean (Vicia faba) and how it can help us mitigate climate change, improve food security, and fix nitrogen. The project looks at aesthetic and ethical issues around innovative biotechnological research to improve faba bean […]

3rd March 2023

The “Fermenting Futures” project (2022) by Anna Dumitriu and Alex May explores the significance of yeast biotechnology from a cultural and aesthetic perspective, engaging audiences in the history and future of this important, but under-recognised, field. The project was created in collaboration with Professor Diethard Mattanovich, Professor Michael Sauer, Dr. Özge Ata and Dr. Martin […]

31st March 2020

Anna Dumitriu exploring how biomaterials and augmented reality can impact sustainability and the circular economy in the wine industry as part of the Better Factory: Internet of Art and Wine (IoWA). Dumitriu will create mycelium sculptures, bio-textiles using kombucha and bio-papers from wine waste, and is also working with experts in the field of bio-cellulose […]

31st March 2020

“Physic-AI Garden” takes the form of stunning and dynamic digital garden, where beautiful virtual plants and fungi grow and interact with each other and with audiences. The plants each represent different drugs and the garden grows according to what drugs work well together and what drugs interact negatively or cause side effects. Audiences can ‘plant’ […]

2nd September 2020

Unruly Objects is a series of closely connected projects exploring the conservation of biological media and BioArt, and its inclusion in museum collections. Unruly Objects and Biological Conservation Anna Dumitriu is collaborating with the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art at The University of West Attica in Athens (Greece) to explore the […]

31st March 2020

“Biotechnology from the Blue Flower” by Anna Dumitriu and Alex May explores the cultural history and morphology of the chicory plant and investigates how new plant breeding methods such as CRISPR gene editing can be used to create future healthcare and food benefits. Chicory inspired the idea of the Blue Flower in German Romanticism, and […]

28th March 2020

“Cyberspecies Proximity” (2020) explores what it will mean to share our sidewalks, elevators and transport systems in close proximity with mobile intelligent robots. Anna Dumitriu and Alex May undertook a STARTS Residency to develop their explorations of robotic movement through an in depth collaboration with the Human Robot Co-Mobility project led by the New Technologies […]