ABOUT

FESTIVAL

BIO·FICTION set out in 2011 to pioneer a creative, interdisciplinary and visionary event platform to explore synthetic biology from all possible angles. This is also why we chose to call it the BIO·FICTION Science Art Film Festival. We took a step away from traditional formats and perfected a program that would unite traditional panel discussions, Q&A sessions, art performances, film screenings, and interactive workshops – to name a few.

For its second iteration in 2014, we cast our net even bigger and wider: We invited participants (speakers, panelists, artists, workshop instructors etc.) from a wealth of backgrounds, including science and engineering, the social sciences, cultural studies, amateur biology, the military, film making, art and design. We also collaborated with the DIYBio Europe network to support participants coming to Biocommons, an event held after BIO·FICTION. The participants that were able to join the festival set up interactive Do-it-Yourself Biology workshop tables, highlighting DIYBio/biohacking groups and their projects.

The latest edition of BIO·FICTION took place in September 2019, with a new theme: FUTUREBODY. We changed our focus for this edition and delved into neurotechnology and how it shapes the future of the human body, mind, intelligence and society.

We compiled a very exciting and rich program that included film screenings, cross-disciplinary discussions, a brain-computer interface demo and an awards ceremony for the winners of our short film competition! In addition, we collaborated to host a Leonardo LASER Talk on the evening of the first festival day at the Medical University of Vienna. LASER (an acronym for Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks are Leonardo’s international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal conversations.

TEAM

Biofaction is a research and science communication company based in Vienna, Austria, and our core expertise is in science communication, film production, technology assessment and the study of ethical, legal and social issues in emerging sciences and technology (genetic engineering, synthetic biology, converging technology).

Most of our work revolves around linking science with society through a variety of channels and with numerous formats. We place importance on interaction and participation, mutual learning, and bringing together different disciplines, such as science and art. If you’re interested in our projects, have a look around our website!