Humatker

From December 2020 to May 2021

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"Humatker" is the winner of the 1st edition of the QUO ARTIS AWARD FOR PRODUCTION IN ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

This artwork –created by Sandra and Gaspard Bébié-Valérian– is a hybrid sculpture and installation which combines three entities that embody the cohabitation regime of our time: one biological, one software and one synthetic. It takes the shape of a 3D-printed human spine with an organism growing on it, Physarum Polycephalum. Commonly defined as a 'slime mold', it colonizes each one of the vertebrae.

“Our current research deals with the process of mycoremediation, a means to clean up, to cure undersoil through the action of mushrooms. The fungal realm is enlightening, inspiring. One can observe its numerous applications in the field of agroecology, medicine, or design. But we are principally interested in its potential as a green agent that may involve myths, legends, and deep beliefs. The mycelium as an image of an extensive network embodies the idea of connecting various living organisms, fostering symbiosis, and new interspecies paths”.

Sandra and Gaspard

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About the artists

Sandra and Gaspard Bébié-Valérian

As individuals and artists, Sandra and Gaspard seek to escape a deterministic life led by technologies; these same technologies which are designed to colonize our daily routines, both in domestic or professional time. For the last few years, they focused on social and environment issues such as energy production, interspecism symbiosis, and cooperation for survival.
Sandra and Gaspard believe in the power of care to foster more empathy and a better understanding of our ecosystems. For that purpose, they include in their researches living organisms as agents for change, involving both a respectful and humble position towards the complicated diversity of life.
They work together since 2004 and have participated in several exhibitions and festivals, among others Piksel (Bergen), Science Gallery (Melbourne), Voltaje Festival (Bogota), Rua Red art center (Dublin), EDF Fundation (Paris), Centraltrack (Dallas), National Dramatic Center (Montpellier), SKOL Art Center and Art Souterrain (Montreal) or Santa Monica art center (Barcelona).

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