Monday, April 16, 2012

Reflecting on the ONELab..

ONELab alumni Yasaman Sheri says about her experience at ONELab:
Well,  I- really enjoyed the one lab. It was specially great to work with GenspaceNYC and really get hands-on experience in the lab. The lecturers were absolutely inspiring from Amanda at Bodega Algae to Decker Yeadon's explorations in nanotechnology. Of course I owe it all to Maria, Mitchell and Walter for mentoring and guiding this event. 

I specially was able to connect with Ellen and Oliver from Genspace, who's ideas of DIYbio and open lab are pushing science and politics in a whole new direction. 

I am now part of the board of directors at Fluxmedia, Hexagram in Montréal which is a research and creation network exploring the intersection of art, science and technology. Its conceptual focus considers how the production and manipulation of wetware, life forms and electronic media instigate cultural, philosophical and ethical questions in design. I've been exploring DIYbio, synthetic biology and growing all kinds of fungi/bacteria as part of my research in Bio Design.
Another former student, Camilla Herman, has co-founded a non-profit based in Ghana, where they apply recycled materials to social design:
'Participating in ONE Lab exposed me to the wealth of practices that make up green design, revealing possibilities I had never before considered. Experiencing these disciplines hands-on gave me the knowledge to refine and focus my own undergraduate career. Since ONE Lab, I have continued to deepen my understanding of architecture and design through academics while additionally bringing this knowledge to bear on my work outside of school. The non-profit I co-founded in Ghana is utilizing passive house techniques and recycled materials in the construction of our Buduburam Kitchen Project, a holistic space for single mothers and their children who have been forced into commercial sex work as a result of the conditions on the Buduburam refugee camp. Recently I was in Mayto, Mexico where I participated in an earth-block workshop in the world's first completely off-grid campground, Rancho Sol Y Mar. In the future I'm hoping I can get some of the ONE Lab faculty to the campground for a workshop series on tree grafting. After ONE Lab, the possibilities are endless.'

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