Sissel Marie Tonn wins the BAD award

Sissel Marie Tonn has won the Bio Art & Design Award (BAD Award) for the project ‘Becoming a sentinel species’. She showed the work project Cartographies of the vanishing now with Jonathan Reus at Zone2Source in 2016.

Becoming a Sentinel Species 
Sissel Marie Tonn, in collaboration with Heather Leslie and Juan Garcia Vallejo (Department of Environment and Health, VU Amsterdam)

Sissel Marie Tonn investigates the issue of microplastics by re-introducing the concept of a sentinel species. An imaginary human guinea pig takes on the task of becoming a sentinel species by introducing microplastics in her blood. By activating old immunological alarm systems it recalls latent ancient memories of a common origin in the primordial sea. An immersive audiovisual installation invites the audience to connect with the fluid reality of their own bodies and, perhaps, to become sentinel species too.

The BAD Award promotes high-quality interdisciplinary practice and collaborations between art/ design and science. The resulting artwork ‘Becoming a Sentinel Species’ will be exhibited at MU Artspace in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, with a public opening on 11 December 2020.

The project entitled “Becoming a Sentinel Species’ will be carried out by the artist-scientist team from July to December 2020. This science/science fiction project explores the issue of microplastics by reframing the concept of “sentinel species”. An imaginary human subject takes on the task of becoming a sentinel species by introducing microplastics into her blood. Triggering ancient immunological alarm systems, this evokes latent, ancient memories of our shared origins in the primordial sea. The story unfolds as an immersive audiovisual installation, inviting the audience to connect with the fluid reality of their own bodies, and, possibly, to become sentinel species as well.

Source: BAD Award website