The Learning Teaching, Training Activity 7 / Biohacking Academy: Biohacking to outreach was a collaborative journey for artists, scientists and enthusiasts. The Hybrid Lab Network meet at the Waag Society of Art, Science and Technology, in Amsterdam during a week of the BioHack Academy. There, we learned about cell biology, synthetic biology and microbiology. We explored the world of bio-engineering, gene-editing and CRISPR-cas9 in particular. With an interdisciplinary group of artists, scientists and ethicists, we thought about how creative practices can help expand collective thinking and legislation on these topics. 

This LTTA focused on reaching a different audience by working together, in multidisciplinary teams, developing speculative stories in a design fiction exercise, and exploring possible futures in a world where genetic engineering is the norm. 

There was a lecture by Howard Bolland on synthetic biology as an artistic practice. Kas Houthuijs introduced genetic modification practices and Lucas Evers talked about how creative uses of GMO’s can push legislation. Furthermore, we went into the lab to use the open-source DIY hardware tools of Waag’s biolab to genetically modify E. coli bacteria with Green Fluorescent Proteins and extract the product of the experiments with these bacteria for future uses. 

This course was integrated into the BioHacking Academy, an already established course at Waag. The BioHack Academy is a 10-week biotechnology course for bio-designers, engineers, scientists, artists, homebrewers and hackers who want to grow their own sustainable biotech materials. The BHA promotes wider access to knowledge and tools outside institutional science and allows for a wider distribution of biotechnological skills. In the BioHack Academy, the focus is on learning the basics of biotechnology, working with biomaterials and collaborating on building your own lab equipment. In addition to gathering new knowledge, the BioHack Academy is about sharing knowledge. All lab equipment is manufactured within the BioHack Academy and the recipes are open-source. This means that everyone is completely free to improve the design or recipe, adapt it according to their own preferences and continue experimenting.