ASCUS: Ed

Despite being a lifesaving treatment for head and neck cancer patients, a side-effect of radiotherapy is damage to salivary glands, leading to the chronic condition of dry mouth. This can severely affect a patient’s quality of life, with existing treatments focusing on short-term relief of side-effects. Dr Elaine Emmerson’s research at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) aims to develop …

Bioverse | Summerhall Exhibition Bioverse is a contemporary visual arts exhibition co-curated by Summerhall and ASCUS Art & Science. Experience the work of visual artists Emily Fong and Sonia Mehra Chawla, and curator Louise Mackenzie through a series of exhibitions that explore and make visible the dynamic biological revolutions within our natural world. Featured exhibitions focus on interactions between microbes, humans …

G-lands: An out of body experience, is a collaboration between artist Emily Fong and scientist Dr Elaine Emmerson from the Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM,) in partnership with ASCUS Art and Science and a multitude of healthcare professionals. Summerhall and ASCUS Art & Science are proud to present G-lands: An out of body experience as part of Bioverse, a series of …

The Rooted Sea: Halophytic Futures  Sonia Mehra Chawla The project stems from two incongruent yet interwoven futuristic imageries of anthropogenic impact on the planet: the desiccated planet and the submerged world. By mapping these two contrasting scenarios (droughts and floods), this project brings into focus the organisms and technologies that inhabit these spaces, while exploring the intertwined ecologies of human …

Opening the door on the inner workings of scientific research, BLACK BOX is a curatorial cinema project, founded by artist, Louise Mackenzie and scientist, Kasia Pirog in 2019.  Curating film inspired by and expanding upon scientific themes, BLACK BOX showcases works by artists and researchers involved in a creative and critical engagement with science. Summerhall and ASCUS Art & Science …

Calling all freelance Creative Producers! Are you an experienced creative producer who is passionate about how art and design interact with other disciplines? ASCUS is looking to extend its network of creatives to join us in producing and delivering a wide range of exciting upcoming projects. We are looking for general expressions of interest in this open call. If you’re …

It was a chilly, windy autumn day at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. The ASCUS Team, Robert May from Historic Environment Scotland and artist Tina Scopa saw the group of students and teachers from Edinburgh Montessori Arts School approaching them. This was it, our Unearthing Micro Life programme that had been postponed so many times was finally happening! What followed was …

Can you believe that 2021 is nearly behind us? Us neither! Nevertheless, the approach to the end of the year has left us reminiscing on 2021. It’s been a challenging one that’s for sure, but it has also been one that has brought out our resilience and determination to adapt to the challenges given to us, and we are proud …

After what seemed like an eternity of uncertainty with the ever-changing government guidelines and social distancing rules, we were finally able to host the first in-person hands-on workshop in almost 2 years! Chromosomes under the fluorescent microscope. Image by Bettina Mihalas Partnering with the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, and the amazingly talented artist, Emily Fong who captured the …

Welcome back to ASCUS! We want to take a moment to share our COVID journey with you as we move into a new phase of development for ASCUS. Since the 18th of March 2020, our small team has been hit hard by COVID and the associated restrictions on our work. Over successive lockdowns, we have remained responsive and open where …