A Events

pHen: ADAPTIVE HUES & CIRCULAR FUTURES

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Winners of the 2024 Biodesign Challenge Outstanding Art Prize, and following a year-long mentorship with BioBAT Art Space, The pHen artist collective of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, will present a solo show in our gallery, slated to open in June, 14th 2025.

Featuring a revolutionary and open-source 3D printed pen that utilizes natural and customizable PH-responsive pigments, The pHen Project is a complete reimagining of the artist's drawing instrument.

Imagine a single pen that allows artists to develop infinite hues from accessible natural sources. With its capacity to create a range of colors by adjusting the PH balance of inks derived from common cabbage and elements found in nature, the pHen isn’t just a writing or drawing tool; it is a catalyst for curiosity and imagination which connects users of all ages to science and nature through creativity.

Working towards a sustainable future by developing low-cost, open-source art supplies inspired by nature’s wonders, pHen aims to reach as many people as possible by creating accessible tools that anyone can adapt to their own needs.

The BioBAT Art Space installation explores the design of the pHen, the science of the inks and celebrates the immense creative potential of The pHen Group’s vision through dynamic installations, art works, and workshops.

Featured artist: Boldizsar Csongor Nagy, Szonja Somogyvari, and Nora Gulya

Featured partners: Moholy-Nagy University, Biodesign Challenge, 360 Design Budapest BioBAT Inc, American Hungarian Library and Historical Society. Hungarian House

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/phen-adaptive-hues-circular-futures-opening-reception-tickets-1366585456889?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Color Lab: From Kitchen to Canvas with pHen

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pHen ARTIST WORKSHOP

Experience the science behind pHen in an interactive art-making workshop live and in-person with The pHen Artist Collective on Sunday, June 8th, 2:00-4:30 p.m. at the Hungarian Cultural Institute. This program is suitable for both beginning artists and advanced practitioners. Learn to make ink from fruits and vegetables, as well from cabbage-derived bacteria! Discover how the pHen artist tool adjusts the pH chemistry of ink to create infinite colors, inspiring creativity and an ecologically sustainable vision of the future.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1378887903839?aff=oddtdtcreator

Currents of Change: A Water Stories Symposium

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Join us on April 24–25 for Currents of Change: A Water Stories Symposium, an interdisciplinary gathering designed to deepen our understanding of human-water relationships. Building on the themes explored in our Water Stories exhibition, this two-day event will bring together voices from across the arts, sciences, public policy, and academia to explore the ecological, cultural, and poetic dimensions of water. From microbial ecosystems to urban waterways, the symposium will investigate water as both a material and metaphorical force-shaped by human and non-human actors alike. Together, we aim to catalyze new conversations around care, stewardship, and the future of water in a rapidly changing world.

In addition to panels and talks, the symposium will feature hands-on workshops, tea ceremonies, sound baths and an incredible performance by Britton Smith and The Sting, who will perform MAMA-a powerful funk set celebrating and singing to water. These immersive experiences are designed to activate the senses, foster community, and create space for collective reflection on our relationship with this vital element.

We warmly invite you to join our community and connect with others who are deeply committed to the health of our waters and to living in symbiosis with nature.

GET TICKETS HERE

Community Ecology Reading Group

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Join NYC Parks Greenthumb and Solar One's Stuy Cove Park at BioBat Art Space for the spring 2025 edition of the Community Ecology Reading Group! This media meetup is a non-traditional book club-- here's how it works: bring a book, article, podcast, film, etc related to this season's theme of MICROBES as well as a short snippet or quote you'd like to share with the group. We'll casually and tangentially discuss all things bacterial, fungal, eukaryotic and viral while enjoying some fermented beverages and other snacks (feel free to BYO!) We can read aloud to one another and add our contributions to the ongoing crowd-sourced Ecological Reading List.

Afterwards we'll take a walk through the current exhibition Water Stories, curated by Elena Soterakis, which includes a good many algal ancestors, ecological extremophiles, and recalcitrant microbes from whom we surely have much to learn about surviving on a rapidly changing planet. We hope to see you there!
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Luminous Waves

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During the Fall of 2024, BioBAT Art Space partnered with Pratt Institute's Dept. of Digital Arts graduate level course: Video Projection Mapping taught by Professor Caroline Voagen Nelson. In this course, Pratt DDA students developed projection mapped video installations proposals for BioBAT Art Space’s current exhibition, Water Stories. The collaboration was developed by Nelson and Curator Elena Soterakis with the aim for students to have the educational experience of creating site-specific digital art installation pitches for an exhibition. Students were divided into groups and created projects inspired by the exhibition’s concept and aesthetics; along with taking into consideration technical feasibility, materials, budget, and timeline in their proposals. These pitches included developing working prototypes of their concepts that were presented in November. Two group projects were accepted to be included in the exhibition: Worn by Waves by Jianing Cui, Jay Bradley, Onur Mavitas and Blue Tears by Iriz Lin, Lynn Feng, Tong Wu Bill.
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