A HUMAN TOUCH: OXYGEN
TALK SERIES #1
Periodic talks on art, design and science
Hosted by Yev Kravt, Curator of Contemporary Art and Design
We live in a time of endless information, infinite content, and increasingly short attention spans. At Droog, we decided to go in the opposite direction.
Instead of zooming out, we zoom in. Past opinions, headlines and hot takes. Towards molecules, microbes and matter. Towards the invisible things that quietly shape our lives.
The human body is made up of a surprisingly small number of elements. This summer, A Human Touch takes these elemental building blocks one by one and follows them across design, science, ecology and culture.
The first gathering is dedicated to oxygen.
Oxygen is not the same as air. It is an element. It has a symbol, a number, and a history. It enables breath, combustion, corrosion and life as we know it. It is produced by forests, algae and cyanobacteria. It circulates through bodies, cities, oceans and plants.
Through talks, conversations and unexpected encounters, we follow oxygen from fermentation to air pollution, from glass blowing to botany.
Expect alchemical facts, decomposing objects, stray theories, and the occasional fermented drink.
Because to understand the elements is to understand ourselves. Or at least to get a little closer.
Featuring
Curator and host
Artist exploring microbial life, fermentation, oxidation and the transformation of organic matter
Designer working with glass, light and the behaviour of materials in transition
Food technologist and Head of R&D at Rijks, exploring fermentation, flavour and living cultures
Plant scientist researching how plants sense and respond to oxygen
