Hands-on
- #No reservation required
Reflecting on concrete case studies, including collaborative research projects and artistic experiments, Maarten will share what he has learnt about the meaning of 'openness' in open science practices over the last three years.
Tuesday May 19th, 2026 @ 7pm
FabCafe MTRL (2nd Floor)
Tue, May 19, 2026 UTC+09:00
19:00 – 20:30
What is BioClub Tokyo?
BioClub Tokyo is a community biology lab and bio hackerspace that brings together artists, scientists, makers, and biology enthusiasts for hands-on projects spanning bioart, biodesign, DIY bio, open science hardware, and citizen science. All experience levels welcome.
Every Tuesday, 7–9PM: Weekly talks, study groups, workshops, and open lab time.
This month’s highlights:
Maarten Smith will present reflections on how artists, designers and scientists might engage with biotechnology outside traditional academic or industrial settings and mutually transform each others practices.
- The talk will be in English
- The talk will be at BioClub and online at Zoom
Micropropegation in the field
What do we mean by ‘open’? Rethinking Open Science through Art and Design Practices
Drawing on his experience teaching and coordinating the BioHack Academy at Waag (Amsterdam) over the past three years, design researcher Maarten Smith will present reflections on how artists, designers and scientists might engage with biotechnology outside traditional academic or industrial settings and mutually transform each others practices.
Nu Ondine by Pip Beale (2023)
Reflecting on concrete case studies, including collaborative research projects and artistic experiments, Maarten will share what he has learnt about the meaning of ‘openness’ in open science practices over the last three years. With an eye on the future, he will discuss philosophical concepts that can help make sense of this openness and navigate towards more resilient and long-term collaborations between artists, designers and scientists.
Love Ourself by Karenina van den Crommenacker (2022)
- Those interested in community-led approaches to research infrastructure and knowledge production.
- Those interested in how exclusionary gatekeeping operates in science and technology.
- Those interested in decolonial and feminist perspectives on open science.
- Those interested in the gap between open science rhetoric and lived practice in maker/DIY spaces.
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Maarten Smith
Maarten Smith is a design research who has been an instructor at Waag Futurelab’s BioHack Academy for the past three editions. This programme, which makes use of Waag’s Open Wetlab, is dedicated to the nurture of bioart and biodesign practices. Maarten has a particular interest in what such practices might teach us about, for example, imagination, representation or logic.
Besides his work at Waag, Maarten is pursuing a PhD on how design and philosophical practices might correspond and transform each other to address societal challenges. He is doing this at the Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, where he also obtained his masters degree. He also loves to make pottery in his attic.
Maarten Smith is a design research who has been an instructor at Waag Futurelab’s BioHack Academy for the past three editions. This programme, which makes use of Waag’s Open Wetlab, is dedicated to the nurture of bioart and biodesign practices. Maarten has a particular interest in what such practices might teach us about, for example, imagination, representation or logic.
Besides his work at Waag, Maarten is pursuing a PhD on how design and philosophical practices might correspond and transform each other to address societal challenges. He is doing this at the Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, where he also obtained his masters degree. He also loves to make pottery in his attic.
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18:45
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Doors open
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19:00
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Introduction
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19:10
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Presentation (Maarten Smith)
*Conducted in English -
19:40
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Q&A and Discussion
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20:15
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Close
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Date & Time
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Tue, May 19, 2026 19:00 – 20:30 UTC+09:00
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Organizers & Sponsors
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Organizer: BioClub
Sponsor: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan
