Program guide

Syn-Life Arts Residency

A compact guide for artists and researchers preparing an expression of interest for the Syn-Life Arts residency at Cross-Media Lab and iSynBio.

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Duration: Agreed per residency

The schedule is set after project scope, lab availability, access requirements, and travel planning are reviewed.

Location: Shenzhen, China

Based at Cross-Media Lab within the SIAT and iSynBio research environment in Guangming Science City.

Format: Research residency

Artists work through visits, conversations, supervised access, studio research, and curatorial dialogue.

Application status: Expressions of interest open

The process begins with an expression of interest, followed by a conversation, feasibility review, and lab matching.

Working language: English first

English is the primary public language, with Chinese support available in the local context.

Support policy: Confirmed individually

Funding, accommodation, travel, production, and other support are recorded in each residency agreement.

Interest path

  1. 1. Browse research themes and labs - Understand the iSynBio ecosystem and identify possible scientific contexts.
  2. 2. Submit expression of interest - Share your practice, proposal, availability, and support needs.
  3. 3. Online conversation - Discuss artistic intent, constraints, research expectations, and next steps.
  4. 4. Feasibility and lab matching review - Confirm safety, mentor availability, timeline, and resource fit.
  5. 5. Cohort visit or orientation - Learn the campus, lab culture, and collaboration boundaries.
  6. 6. Residency confirmation - Finalize dates, support, public program expectations, and access conditions.

Materials

  • Artist statement
  • Portfolio or website
  • CV or short bio
  • Research proposal
  • Preferred research themes
  • Availability
  • Support needs
  • Prior science or lab experience, optional

Selection criteria

  • Artistic quality and originality
  • Relevance to Syn-Life Arts and synthetic biology
  • Strength of research question
  • Feasibility within the agreed residency scope
  • Ability to work respectfully in a lab environment
  • Public dialogue potential
  • Compatibility with available labs and mentors
  • Ethical awareness

Research themes

Synthetic Cell

Investigate what changes when cells are not only observed or modified, but built from molecular components.

Bio-Manufacturing

Explore organisms, enzymes, and automated platforms as material systems for future production.

Living Materials

Work with the cultural and sensory implications of materials that metabolize, decay, adapt, or self-organize.

Microbial Systems

Consider microbial communities as ecological, social, and aesthetic actors rather than hidden background life.

Protein Design

Translate folded structures, molecular machines, and designed proteins into spatial, sonic, or narrative forms.

AI for Biology

Question how machine learning changes biological discovery, authorship, and the imagination of living systems.

Biofoundry and Automation

Look at laboratories as automated infrastructures where protocols, machines, and organisms co-produce knowledge.

Ethics, Society, and Public Imagination

Develop forms that make responsibility, access, risk, care, and future publics part of the biological conversation.

Support

Core Program Context

Cross-Media Lab coordination, Scientific conversations, Curatorial dialogue, Campus and safety orientation

Confirmed in the Agreement

Residency dates and duration, Funding and production support, Accommodation and travel arrangements, Visa or invitation-letter support, Documentation and public-program support

Requires Scientific Approval

Laboratory and equipment access, Biological materials and organism handling, Wet-lab activity, Sensitive data, samples, or genetic work

Possible outputs

The residency supports research-led outcomes shaped around the needs of each project.

Artist talkOpen studioWorkshopPrototype presentationEssay or field notesOnline documentationExhibition proposalFuture collaboration plan

FAQ

Do I need a science background?

No formal biology degree is required. Strong research motivation, patience with scientific process, and respect for laboratory rules are more important.

Can international artists apply?

Yes. The program is designed as an international residency. Practical details such as travel, visa timing, and invitation letters are reviewed case by case.

How long is the residency?

The duration is agreed for each residency after the project scope, lab availability, access requirements, and travel plan have been reviewed.

Is there an application deadline?

Cross-Media Lab currently accepts expressions of interest. Residency dates are proposed after the initial conversation and confirmed through feasibility and lab matching.

Can collectives apply?

Collectives may apply when one lead applicant is named and the proposed working format is feasible for the lab, housing, and public program.

Can I work with living materials?

Possibly, but only after scientific, safety, and feasibility review. Any biological material, organism handling, or wet lab work requires approval and supervision.

Can I choose a specific lab?

Applicants may indicate preferred research themes or labs. Final matching depends on scientific fit, mentor availability, safety, and project feasibility.

Is the residency fully funded?

Funding and production support are agreed for each residency. The confirmed arrangement is recorded alongside the schedule, access conditions, and project responsibilities.

Is airfare covered?

Travel support is confirmed individually as part of the residency agreement. Applicants should describe their travel needs in the expression of interest.

Is food covered?

Living-cost support is confirmed individually as part of the residency agreement. Applicants should include relevant needs in the initial conversation.

Is there visa or invitation letter support?

Invitation letter support can be considered after selection and residency confirmation. The program cannot guarantee visa outcomes.

Is a final artwork required?

Valid outcomes include research, prototypes, public talks, workshops, essays, documentation, and exhibition proposals. The agreed outcome follows the needs of the project.

Who owns the resulting artwork or IP?

Artwork ownership and intellectual property questions are discussed case by case before the residency begins, especially when scientific data or lab resources are involved.

What safety restrictions apply?

No unsupervised biological work is allowed. Safety orientation is mandatory, and sensitive proposals may require biosafety or ethics review.