Christina Stadlbauer

Belgium, Finland (residence), Austria (citizenship)
research interests: interspecies, urban, honeybees, biodiversity, transformation, ritual, kin tsugi, bacteria, Bio Kin Tsugi, mollusk, post qualitative research
affiliation: Bioart Society, Melliferopolis, Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity
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Christina's practice is focused on other-than-human life forms (plants, animals, bacteria) and attempts to re-negotiate the relations humans have with their environment. Departing from her work with honeybees, the long term project Melliferopolis - bees in urban contexts - was founded in 2012. In collaboration with Ulla Taipale a large body of work has been realized (http://melliferopolis.net). In 2017, Christina started to also work under the name “Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity”, an initiative concerned with loss of habitats. Symbolic, absurd solutions are proposed to save the planet and its non-human inhabitants, like the mollusc Pinna nobilis, endemic in the Mediterranean Sea. Another branch of Christina's art practice is the work on cracks and the ancient Japanese craft of mending them with gold: a technique called Kin Tsugi. The classic technique with ceramic objects, allowed her to work in earthquake regions with restoration processes both physical and mental. In consequence, she explored the aspect of healing taking the concept into the microbiology lab employing bacteria and fungi. 

Christina's work is informed by her scientific background and includes life installations, performances, exhibitions, workshops, lectures and publications. She obtained a PhD in chemistry and is member of the Bioart Society, Finland. She has a post-Doc position at the Centre for Synthetic Biology, Ghent and the Department for Philosophy (Bioethics) in Antwerp (Belgium). 


research

Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity

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  • Relocation Training for Mollusks (06/09/2019)
    Art object: Video, Christina Stadlbauer, Mar Menor, La Manga, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    The video tutorial intends to encourage the mollusk Pinna Nobilis to relocate further North and to safety. It is addressed to the sea creature directly and therefore shown to the Great Pen Shell underwater. The intervention and performance took place in La Manga, at the laguna of the Mar Menor in September 2019. A few human spectators were also present.
  • Relocation Training for Honeybees (31/10/2019)
    Art object: Video, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    The relocation training for Honeybees considers their highly developed brains and their sharp sense of navigation and orientation. The first episode of the relocation trainings, filmed in Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the University of Helsinki.
  • Diversity is All Around (23/03/2019)
    Art object: Installation, Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity, Brussels, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    The Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity creates video tutorials for endangered species endangered. Diversity is All Around is an associative video clip presented on a canvas made of potato chips bags, at Performatiek Festival in Canal, Brussels, Belgium in 2019.
  • Relocation for Pinna Nobilis (09/05/2019)
    Event: Exhibition, Murcia, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    During the exhibition PROYECTOS Y PROCESOS DE ARTE Y CIENCIA EN EL MAR MENOR at Murcia (Spain) a trailer of the Video training for endangered species was shown. The video is part of a series of relocation training tutorials produced by the Institute for Relocation of Biodiversity. The work started in 2018, during a residency with the project MarMenorLab with Clara Boj.

Kin Tsugi as Transformative Repair

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  • Corale, Kin Tsugi (15/07/2018)
    Event: Event, artist(s)/author(s): Progetto Corale, Leonardo Delogu, Christina Stadlbauer
    Corale was a Kin Tsugi intervention in the hills of Umbria. After a heavy earthquake, in the villa of Preci, Kin Tsugi was proposed to fix ceramics, houses and broken hearts.
  • Casa Crepa (14/07/2018)
    Art object: Installation, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    Christina was invited to do a residency in the Italian mountain village Preci struck by earthquake some years earlier. Habitations were destroyed and the population demotivated. A large building in the centre of the village was still standing but displaying a large crack in the facade. Inspired by Kin Tsugi, the crack was repaired with Urushi and gold-coloured powder. Community work, durational performance and intervention. Invitation and collaboration with artist group Corale, Leonardo Delogu, Teatro Stabile, Umbria.
  • Ceramic Scar Tissue (02/09/2019)
    Art object: Piece, Christina Stadlbauer, artist(s)/author(s): Christina Stadlbauer
    Ceramic Scar Tissue is a series of explorations of Kin Tsugi in the microbiological lab. It suggests to heal a fracture instead of glueing it and creating a scar tissue of biomatter. The ceramic pieces are repaired ephemerally and remind of impermanence and imperfection.

Melliferopolis - Bees in Urban Contexts

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  • Bee Ark (01/06/2014)
    Art object: Art object, artist(s)/author(s): Melliferopolis, Christina Stadlbauer
    The Bee Ark is a sculpture that hosts a colony of honeybees. It is a co-creation between artist Nigel Helyer (Australia) and the participants of the Melliferopolis workshop " bees for architecture - architecture for bees", June 2014. The unconventional hive is intended as a safe home for bees and does not allow human access to take their honey.
  • Hexa-Hive Village with Airstrip for Pollinators (01/06/2015)
    Art object: Installation, Helsinki, artist(s)/author(s): Melliferopolis, Christina Stadlbauer
    This open-air installation features experimental hives for bees and Man and a flowerbed constructed on the lawn. The Airstrip for Pollinators is a strip of flowers, a cornucopia for the senses on the turf. It serves as an appetizer and a dessert for the bees harvesting nectar and pollen, and as a feast for the park visitor ́s eyes. Selected flowers care for bees’ and men’s well-being, and bloom all summer long. The installation is located in front of the Helsinki City Theatre, in Tarja Halonen Park. It was first installed at Poikilo Museum Kouvula as part of the Semi Wild Gardens exhibition in 2015. Installation by Christina Stadlbauer and Ulla Taipale.
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With Plants

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Artistic Research

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