Bioart Lab and Multimedia Theatre
University of Windsor, School of Creative Arts
The Armouries, Room 103
Bioart Lab and Multimedia Theatre
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In 2018, INCUBATOR Art Lab opened a custom built Bioart laboratory in the Armouries building in the School of Creative Arts at UWindsor. This facility supports world class research and creation in molecular biology, microbiology, microscopy, and bioprinting in the production of bioart and biodesign outcomes. Situated in the main atrium of SoCA, our lab is a 435 square foot bioart lab / kitchen / gallery with a crystal chandelier and a floor to ceiling glass wall. With CFI funding, we transformed the lab in 2024 into a multimedia theatre including theatrical lighting, sound, and multimedia capabilities. This facility is a unique laboratory world-wide supporting biotech research processes in combination with a performing arts venue. Over the next 5 years INCUBATOR Art Lab researchers, visiting artists, and students will focus on producing live bioart multimedia performances and events for live and virtual audiences.
Art/Science Performances
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Since 2018, INCUBATOR Art Lab has hosted a range of art installations and performances that highlight the lab as a space where art and science converge. Feasting the Lab (2018) transformed the new facility into an art/science cabaret for over 500 guests, staged before the lab’s certification. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gratitude Offering for the Organisms (2020) was presented virtually at MIT Media Lab’s global Community BioSummit 4.0, offering a poetic reflection on care across species in the lab. Most recently, during FEMeeting Windsor 2024 and the opening of the exhibition Elegy for a Cell, the lab featured a surprise flash mob further positioning the lab as a stage for experimental performance and collective gathering. These events demonstrate how the lab has served as a platform for performances that blend bioart, scientific discourse, and community engagement.
Bioart Student Performances
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In Feburary 2025, bioart students developed performance projects for the Multimedia Bioart Laboratory. Utilizing hands-on techniques learned during classes, conducting online research, and performing DIY experiments at home, they created art and science performances, lectures, and theatrical readings intended for presentation in the bioart lab. The Multimedia Bioart Laboratory serves as a space for exploration, expression, and learning, encouraging students to immerse themselves in contemporary art practices where art, science, and technology intersect.
INCUBATOR is grateful for support from the following organizations:
