NFF Fellows: Matthew C. Wilson

Over the past decades, biology, computer science, chemistry and engineering have become increasingly intertwined, giving rise to fields such as synthetic biology, bioengineering and biocomputing. These fields make it possible to develop new organisms, materials and lifelike systems, with emerging applications in areas such as medicine, energy, and agriculture. As these developments move from the laboratory into the wider world, they begin to reshape the conditions in which life, technology and society take form.

Synthetic Bioscope takes current developments in synthetic biology as its point of departure. Through conversations with scientists, laboratory visits and engagement with existing experiments, Wilson is building a growing, open-ended collection of hybrid and synthetic-biological organisms, continually expanded in response to new research.

From this larger body of “specimens,” Wilson so far selected several as starting points for short cinematic prototypes. Rather than predicting fixed futures, they offer atmospheric fragments of possible worlds. Wilson’s artistic process thus becomes a laboratory for future scenarios, inviting audiences to speculate on what these entities might become and how they could transform the worlds we inhabit. Looking at synthetic life entails looking at worlds in the making.

Made possible with the financial support of the Mondriaan Fund
Creative Producer and Casting Director: Marta Lillioja