MICROmacro OBSERVATION STAGE (10') This video and photos show the project's first stage. 150 artists attended talks given by a bacteriologist. Encouraged to relate this experience to the world around them, they were are given one month to prepare proposals for a project.

 

 

 

 

LABORARTORIO 2008. Artists from the department of Quindio, Colombia were invited to look at life through a microscope and then create a project linked to this experience for a public space in Armenia, Colombia.

 

Following a lecture by a bacteriologist the artists went through four stages in developing a project: to observe, reflect, conceptualise and make a new work.

OBSERVE. In the first stage participants were invited to observe life through a microscope and then encouraged to draw comparisons with the world around them. Observation continued on leaving the laboratory. As art can transmit ideas, thoughts, concepts and realities, questioning the world is essential for artists. As mainstream media invades us with distortions and half-truths, probing is an essential part of the creative process.

REFLECT. This is the stage to reflect on observations and to consider thoughts and concepts. During this time the participants thought about how their experiences related to their art in the context of a wider social framework.

CONCEPTUALISE. Following personal tutorials each participant developed a project. The practical details of presenting a final work to the public were thought through.

MAKE. Finally the participants made their ideas a reality using video, photography, sculpture, sound and performance amongst other media. The work was presented in various public spaces including Armenia's main square.