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 […]

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 […]

27th March 2020

“Make Do and Mend” (2016-17) is artwork created by Anna Dumitriu as part of The FEAT (Future Emerging Art and Technology) residency programme. The piece references the 75th anniversary of the first use of penicillin in a human patient in 1941 and takes the form of an altered antique wartime women’s suit marked with the […]

31st August 2023

Wood Spirit – Amber Acid (2023) is a commission in the “Fermenting Futures” series that takes the form of a sculptural necklace which tells the story of cutting-edge biotechnology research to produce sustainable carbon neutral nylon fabric via a yeast known as Pichia pastoris that has been modified to be able to feed on a […]