Upcoming Events
Check out what' we’re up to, our latest workshops, exhibitions, courses and events here
OFFERING 4: •~pond~• (tua mak’s qi)
A hands-on microscopy study group exploring the hidden ecosystems of the pond
A two-part event which shifts from the macro to the micro, to mark the end of •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~•’s time at Tramway.
Both parts are free but ticketed, and you can attend one or both parts.
Tickets for each event must be reserved separately
These events are recommended for an adult audience.
Macro – 2 to 3pm
A conversation between artist Rae-Yen Song 宋瑞渊 and Claire Jackson, Tramway’s Senior Curator, to explore the ecosystems and lifecycles of the exhibition. The discussion will unpick some of the entanglements in Rae-Yen’s work, in which ecology and ancestry are bound together with the threads of a Daoist sensibility. The speakers will excavate some of the roots of •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~• and meditate on its future.
Micro – 3.30 to 5pm
A practical study group, focusing on the microscopic inner life of the pond which sits at physical and spiritual centre of •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~•. Participants will learn the basics of microscopy, prepare and observe pond samples, and take home their own self-contained ecosystems derived from the pond to explore how they grow, adapt, and change over time. The study group will be led by Keira Tucker and Sanika Pradhan of ASCUS Art and Science, who - along with the pond itself - have been key collaborators in making and sustaining the exhibition.
This study group is limited to 24 participants.
This programme accompanies the exhibition •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~• by Rae-Yen Song 宋瑞渊. Read more about the exhibition
•~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~• is a co-commission with FACT Liverpool and Film and Video Umbrella with support from University of Glasgow and Creative Folkestone.
Funded by Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and the Henry Moore Foundation.
Image
Rae-Yen Song 宋瑞渊, •~TUA~• 大眼 •~MAK~•, 2025. Installation view, Tramway, Glasgow, UK. Courtesy Tramway. Photo: Keith Hunter.
Chemistry Printmaking Workshop
During this two-and-a-half-hour workshop, you'll be both a scientist and an artist as you learn how to etch an image into a metal plate by utilizing a chemical reaction. The plate will then be printed and taken away with you as a personalized keyring.
Biophotography: Image-making with non-human agents
In this workshop, you'll work with natural samples, fungi, and bacteria to explore collaborative image-making through an alternative biophotographic approach. Working alongside living material, you'll create images that evolve through growth, degradation, and interaction with living organisms.
The Invisible Life of Microbes
Get hands on with us to discover soil secrets, spot tiny life, and make a mini ecosystem to take home!
ASCUS at Pint of Science
Using our microscopes, participants will have the chance to view the microscopic crystal structure of Vitamin C and to view their own skin in magnified detail, gaining a closer perspective on the textures and surfaces we often overlook.
Alongside this, the session introduces Surface Echoes, a resource that brings to life the everyday challenges and emotional impact of eczema.
Panel Discussion | Modern Alchemy
What really happens during an Art-Science Collaboration? Find out in this panel discussion with ASCUS, artist Susan Aldworth and chemist Amanda Jarvis.
Exhibition - Modern Alchemy
This exhibition shows how art meets chemistry. Artist Susan Aldworth visualises chemical reactions through experimental techniques inspired by chemistry researcher Amanda Jarvis’ work on sustainable catalysis.
Modern Alchemy Preview
Join us at the Edinburgh Printmakers for the launch of Modern Alchemy, a visual art exhibition that visualises catalytic chemistry.
Colliderfest
The ASCUS team is venturing outside the ASCUS Lab to bring a range of art-science activities to Hull’s science and art festival!
Valentines Microscopy Taster session
Fall in love with another universe this valentines day with our microscopy taster session!
Christmas Ornament Making Workshop
Get festive in the ASCUS Lab, Edinburgh, for a fun, hands-on friends & family event!
Creative Edinburgh Awards
We’re thrilled to announce that ASCUS has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Creative Edinburgh Awards 2025!
Stay tuned — the big night is on Friday, 14th November!
Light up Learning Workshop
ASCUS Lab is excited to host a hands-on practical session for students from Light up Learning!
Mineral Manifest: Exploring materiality in crystal growth
In this workshop, participants will grow crystals from chemical solutions and use microscopy to observe their growth structures. We will explore how alterations in environmental conditions and deliberate perturbations influence crystal structures and growth patterns.
Growing Culture: LGBTQIA+ Art Therapy Workshops
A unique collaborative pilot project combining art psychotherapy group work with hands-on science lab enquiry. Using a range of art materials and bacteria as our mediums, this project is for LGBTQIA+ people to explore concepts of personal growth, increase community connection and engage their curiosity with learning to be supported in celebration of themselves.
Mycelium Magic
A hands-on workshop where you’ll mould living fungi into beautiful coasters and decorate them!
Edinburgh Montessori Arts School collaboration
We are excited to be exposing the Teens Hub at Edinburgh Montessori Arts School (EMAS) to art and science techniques as part of their weekly science class.
Microscopy in the Meadows
On Tuesday 12th August, we’re taking a few of our microscopes across the road to the Meadows for a microscopy pop up! Join us for a hands-on look at the hidden world around us and learn more about what goes on in the ASCUS Lab.
Growing Culture: LGBTQIA+ Art Therapy Workshops
A unique collaborative pilot project combining art psychotherapy group work with hands-on science lab enquiry. Using a range of art materials and bacteria as our mediums, this project is for LGBTQIA+ people to explore concepts of personal growth, increase community connection and engage their curiosity with learning to be supported in celebration of themselves.
Microscopy 101: Exploring the Invisible
Explore the hidden world in our Microscopy class for Beginners. Whether you’re a Scientist, an Artist, or give want to give it a go!
ASCUS Talk at Fusion
Come along to this Fusion event to hear our General and Lab Manager, Dr. Keira Tucker talk about how ASCUS brings art and science together through creative collaboration.
Painting Microbial Masterpieces
Design your own textiles using bacteria, let it grow, and see your creation!
Join us at ASCUS Lab for a hands-on Bio-Art taster session, where science and creativity collide!
ASCUS Evening Sessions
Join us for our lab evening sessions, on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month to accommodate those who work full time, and to boost the art-science community aspect of the lab.
Tweed Estuary Clean
We are excited to join the Tweed River Culture for a clean up with a hint of science! We will be bringing some of our smartphone microscopes and other equipment for participants of the clean up to understand a little more about the health of the river.
Registration details on flyer below
Discover the Hidden Worlds of Plants in an Artist-Led Workshop
Join us for an artist talk and hands-on workshop where you will delve into the intricate microscopic structures of plants and uncover their remarkable ability to store heavy metals.
Talk|Post-Industrial Ecologies
Artist Dawn Felicia Knox will discuss her exhibition, Post-industrial Ecologies, grown from a decade of research moving through geology, industrial archaeology and ecology across one plot of land.
Microscopy Pop up
Fancy searching for the microscopic life that surrounds you everyday? Join us at the Edinburgh Science Festival EXPERIMENTAL LIFE and EARTH FEST to find some creepy crawlies!
Talk|Artist Talk: Mythic Instruments
Emma Hislop will give an illustrated presentation on her work that comprises the exhibiton Mythic Instruments.
Event |Morality Calculus Tasting Event
The experience will involve eating food fermented by fictional hybrid organisms analogous to the ones involved in the bread making experiments. Through ordering, tasting and thinking through food with fellow participants, the audience is invited to calculate the incalculable – the morality of genetic parts from different living beings, and to reflect on the choices they’ve made during the process.
We Pretended It wasn't green
James Stephen Wright will discuss his work We Pretended It Wasn't Green, a generative animation showcasing a frog and enchanting mushrooms intricately woven into a constantly changing narrative influenced by real-time earth data from satellites spinning above us.