Chemical Poetics: Literature in the Lab

What does a tremor in pH value feel like? Which emotions are triggered by an encounter with non-Newtonian fluids? What do you think about when you watch cell-membranes made of Copper Sulfate rupture in a Sodium Silicate solution? In Chemical Poetics: Literature in the Lab we try to reflect on these questions by writing poetry inspired by chemical experimentation.

Join for a session of writing and experimenting to explore the possibilities of poetry written in chemistry and awaken senses you did not know could be used for reading. You will be assisted by our chemical poetic expert, the tiny language model, Jupi, a clumsy but knowledgeable co-author from the exoplanet 55 Cancri E that won’t take away the fun of writing, but will inspire you to think beyond the limits of ordinary poetics.

So bring your favorite writing device (analog or digital), and a solid amount of eagerness to explore. We will be writing and playing with basic chemistry. No chemistry or writing experience necessary.

Chemical Poetics: Literature in the Lab is based on the artist-research project Exoplanetary Poetry developed for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute by Bart Kuipers, Julie-Michèle Morin, and Daniela Brill Estrada. More information: https://exoplanetarypoetry.space/ and https://bkuipers.nl/exoplanetary-poetry/