Inhuman Carnaval - An interspecies celebration

Open costume lab, workshops, exhibitions, party, parade and more.

Hosted by Baltan Laboratories x Mediamatic

This project is now archived and was part of DDW21

Event type

Exhibition

Location

Strijp-S

Natlab

Kastanjelaan 500

5616 LZ

Wearable Soft Toys: brown teddy costume

Photo by Sofia Okkonen

How does it feel to be an earthworm, bee, or fungus? Mediamatic and Baltan are organizing a big dress-up party where artists, designers, and passersby are invited to dress up themselves and each other as the amazing (animal) species of our ecosystem, and celebrate biodiversity!

Non Human Costume Lab

How can we break out of our anthropocentric worldview and learn to feel more empathy for the other species on the planet? Can we train ourselves to see the world from a non-human perspective by wrapping ourselves in pink velvet and becoming an endangered pink velvet worm, for example? At Natlab we will host an open costume lab where we invite fashion designers, artists and you too, to make costumes of amazing species. During the week there will be room for experiment and design research to mimic various species in fabric and other (sustainable) materials. We will also host an ongoing program of master classes, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and parades around bio-diversity and design. A costume made from a mushroom? A mask with the scent of Dahlias, or face paints as a water bear? The craziest/most beautiful/original costumes and techniques that we see this week, will be translated into instructables. The instructables will be published in a DIY-guide to Inhuman Carnaval, and serve as an inspiration for dressing up at carnaval 2022, where the project will be continued...

Hacking Carnival

With Inhuman Carnival, we explore adding a new layer to the large-scale escapism that is common at carnival. can you actively advocate for biodiversity and grow your understanding of non-human beings while you party? We believe that empathizing with a species and making a costume is a good starting point to become more aware of a large abstract problem, such as the loss of biodiversity. Our ultimate goal is to "hack" Carnival 2022 with as many biodiversity costumes as possible. We want to activate a big crowd to dress up as an 'inhuman species' during the party. The DIY guide with instructables that will be made during DDW is the key starting point for this project. Come by, get inspired by designs from renowed artists, join a fashion design workshops, experiment with costume making, transform yourself into in-human species, and dance with us at Natlab and beyond!

Wearwolf Accessory by Lea Jenny

Photo by Pierre Castignola

JOIN Workshop by Anouk Beckers & Studio Bonbon

Image courtesy of Anouk Beckers, 2019

Hosted by

Baltan Laboratories x Mediamatic
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About Baltan Laboratories x Mediamatic

Baltan initiates experimentation on the crossroads of art, design, science and technology, evoking inquisitive ideas and insights by bridging the gaps between disciplines. Mediamatic is an art centre in Amsterdam that is dedicated to new developments in the arts and science. They make space for projects that arise from design research into socially urgent themes. Currently their program mainly focusses on nature, biotechnology and sustainability.