Designer Bodies was a project curated by Iliyana Nedkova and produced by Chris Byrne, in association with Stills, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and Edinburgh International Science Festival. The science and art season comprised a major new exhibition, an international symposium and creative workshops for young people. This online publication produced and published by Art Research Communication. Altogether Designer Bodies season featured 25 artists, scientists and teenagers from Scotland and beyond, all passionate about the wider impact of recent scientific breakthroughs in human genetics.

Art Research Communication is an Edinburgh-based company working nationally and internationally with artists, exhibitions, projects and critical context. Established by Chris Byrne and Iliyana Nedkova in 2004 to take forward their combined experience of 27 years in the field of new media art. More information at www.a-r-c.org.uk

Iliyana Nedkova is a Sofia-born, Edinburgh-based curator, producer and critic of contemporary art and design. Described as 'a curator of taste and critical discernment', Iliyana is Co-Director of Art Research Communication. Currently she is curating the new Threshold artspace at the Perth Concert Hall while working on her PhD in Curatorial Theory and Practice at Liverpool John Moores University. Also serving as Honorary Cultural Attaché at the Bulgarian Consulate in Scotland.

Chris Byrne has engaged with digital and moving image culture as an artist, producer, arts manager, educator. Chris is Co-director of Art Research Communication. He also lectures in Contemporary Media Theory at the University of Dundee. Previously, he was Director of New Media Scotland, where he curated and organised numerous projects, exhibitions, performances, and residencies with artists across Scotland. He has long practical experience in the field of media arts as a curator, producer and artist. His main practice as a curator and researcher over the past eight years has been focused on Internet art, networked art practices, sound, performance, and more recently mobile and locative media arts. He has also continued his long standing interest in moving image media, in particular video art and experimental film.

Designer Bodies was organized in association with
Stills; Edinburgh International Science Festival; The Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art; The Arts Catalyst: The Science-Art Agency; Science Museum London

Additional project support was provided by
Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Lisson Gallery, London; University of Abertay, Dundee; University of Dundee; Stills’ Richard Hough Digital and Photographic Resource; Reflecmedia; Qiagen; University of Glasgow; Prelinger Archives; Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group; Amber Arts; The Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund; forma; ALT-W Digital Media Fund; Gulbenkian Foundation and Copus: Connecting People to Science; Black Community Development Project
Designer Bodies would not have been possible without the financial support from the Scottish Arts Council; The Wellcome Trust; The City Of Edinburgh Council; The Leonardo Da Vinci Programme of the European Union; Arts Council England

DESIGNER BODIES PROJECT TEAM

Contributing artists and scientists
Bergit Arends, Alan Bleakley, Christine Borland, Chris Byrne, Gina Czarnecki, Jacqueline Donachie, Gair Dunlop, Bronac Ferran, Jens Hauser, Steve Kurtz, Warren Neidich and Keith Skene

Contributing young people
Victoria Gifford, Lungowe Kashina, Mulawa Kashina and Clairemarie Stewart

Curator Iliyana Nedkova

Producer Chris Byrne

Curatorial Assistant Aino Ingrid Sepp

Curatorial Advisors
Chris Byrne, Hannah Redler and Nikolai Zhelev

Workshop Coordinators
Lynn Hill, Sam Hill, Kirsty Lorenz and Karen Loughridge
Symposium and Exhibition Support: Rachel Gillies, D’arcy Dalzell, Deirdre Mackenna, John Morrison and Joanna Shepherd

Symposium Support
Alicia Bruce, Kate Chandler, Eilidh Gordon, Keith Hartley, Lyndsay Macaulay, Patricia Martinez, Robert Niven and Wendy Short

Symposium and Exhibition Documentation
Chris Byrne, Kate Chandler, Aino Ingrid Sepp and Wendy Short

Graphic and Web Design Cavan Convery

Exhibition Installation and Invigilation Team: Kelly Archibald, Alicia Bruce, Kate Chandler, Susan Craib, Amber Day, Ben Ewart Dean, Catherine Devlin, Carl Heaton, Sam Heaton, Ruth Houston, Kirsty Jennings, Catherine Judd, Magnus Lawrie, Laurie McNulty, Patricia Martinez, Zoe Maxwell, Ryan McGoverne, Robert Niven Fiona Oke, Wendy Short, Catriona Skinner, Lana Taylor and Kris Wright

Highlights and Publication Editors Iliyana Nedkova and Chris Byrne

Publication Transcripts Eilidh Gordon

Special thanks to
Gillean Dickie, Maureen Finn, Tracy Foster, Rob La Frenais, Robin Held, Veronica McCabe, Lisa Jamieson, David Metcalfe, Britta Paasche, Lesley Paterson, Cécile Panzieri, Sara Rogerson, Clare Simpson, Sandra Sule, Mare Tralla, Neal White

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