BacteArte XIII: Interdisciplinary Art and Science Event Memory
Description
This dataset documents the XIII edition of BacteArte (2025), a Latin American interdisciplinary biotechnology and art event held on October 27, 2025, at the Universidad de Santander (UDES), Colombia. The event was organized by the Bacteriology and Clinical Laboratory Program of UDES, with the support of Fundación Eureka Soluciones, as part of a long-term initiative focused on science communication, education, biodiversity, and interdisciplinary cultural practices. BacteArte XIII brought together 432 participants from 43 institutions across Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and Bolivia, consolidating the event as a national and international platform for collaboration among artists, scientists, students, and educators. The core of the event was an art exhibition based on the microscopic world, centered on agar-based biological artworks created using living bacteria, including genetically modified bacteria expressing chromogenic proteins. A total of 416 artworks were produced, exhibited, and documented (400 Agar-Art; 7 Photography; 6. Drawing; and, 3 AI. All artworks are inspired by and dedicated to the biodiversity of Colombia, the most biodiverse country in the world, exploring biological diversity through microbial growth, color expression, and artistic interpretation at the microscopic scale. In addition to agar-based biological artworks, the event included complementary artistic categories such as artistic expressions (drawing and illustration), scientific photography, and artificial intelligence–assisted artworks, which contextualize and expand the central bioart component. The event integrated an academic, cultural, and science communication program, including invited talks, interdisciplinary discussions, immersive experiences, and educational activities designed to support the creation, interpretation, and dissemination of the artworks. The dataset compiles photographic documentation, digital reproductions of artworks (PDF format), structured metadata on participants and institutions, science communication materials, event programs, certificates, and dissemination records. All materials were collected with prior authorization from participants and managed in accordance with applicable ethical and data protection standards. This dataset constitutes the official archival record of BacteArte XIII (2025) and follows a standardized organizational structure designed to support documentation, preservation, reuse, and analysis of interdisciplinary practices at the intersection of biotechnology, bioart, biodiversity, education, and science communication.
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Steps to reproduce
This dataset was generated within the BacteArte initiative, coordinated by Fundación Eureka and the Universidad de Santander (UDES), integrating microbiology, synthetic biology, biosecurity, education, and art-based research. The biological material consisted of genetically modified Escherichia coli strains expressing chromogenic proteins, produced using standard molecular biology transformation protocols and handled under BSL-1/BSL-2 containment conditions. All activities followed institutional and national biosafety regulations and the BacteArte Biosafety Guide. Transformed bacteria were cultivated on selective media and used in structured academic courses, laboratory training sessions, workshops, and outreach activities involving universities, research institutes, schools, and technical education centers. Artistic works were created using controlled microbiological culture techniques and documented through standardized digital imaging and metadata records. Each artwork and activity was registered with information on institution, country, date, biosafety level, and type of chromogenic system used. Data were digitized, curated, and harmonized following FAIR principles to ensure reuse in educational research, science communication, and bioart studies. Reproducibility requires access to a BSL-1 or BSL-2 laboratory, standard microbiology equipment and reagents, approved biosafety protocols for genetically modified organisms, and the use of standardized documentation and metadata templates.
Institutions
- Universidad de Santander - Campus Universitario Lagos del Cacique
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia
- Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira
- Universidad EAFIT - Sede Bogota
- Universidad de Antioquia
- Universidad Estatal a Distancia
- Universidad de Cuenca
- Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica y Superior
- CINVESTAV Departamento de Fisiologia Biofisica y Neurociencias
- Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes
- Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa
- Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico
- Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia
- Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
- Universidad Tecnologica del Peru
- Escuela Colombiana De Carreras Industriales
- Institucion Universitaria Colegio Mayor de Antioquia
- Fundacion Universitaria de Popayan
- Universidad Del Rosario
- Universidad-Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca
- Tecnologico de Antioquia Institucion Universitaria
- Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical Antonio Roldan Betancur
- Instituto Universitario de la Paz
- Institucion Educativa Politecnico alvaro Gonzalez Santana
- Politecnico Colombiano Jaime Isaza Cadavid
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
- Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje
- Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales
- Fundacion Universitaria Sanitas
- Universidad Catolica de Manizales
- Universidad de Caldas
- Universidad de Cartagena
- Universidad de Cordoba
- Universidad de la Amazonia
- Universidad de La Sabana
- Universidad De La Salle
- Universidad del Magdalena
- Universidad del Quindio
- Universidad del Tolima
- Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas
- Universidad EAFIT
- Universidad Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia
- Universidad El Bosque
- Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander
- Universidad Icesi
- Universidad Industrial de Santander
- Universidad Libre
- Universidad Manuela Beltran
- Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellin
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia Campus Palmira
- Universidad Pedagogica Nacional
- Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia
- Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana
- Universidad Popular del Cesar
- Universidad Santiago de Cali