6pm Wed 18th Feb 2026
Anna Dumitriu in discussion with Cécile Bourne-Farrell and Professor Rachel Kerr

"Manna: Epigenetics, Conflict and Intergenerational Trauma" and other works

Event is at BCS Moorgate and on Zoom - visitors and online - BOOK NOW

Speakers: Anna Dumitriu, Cécile Bourne-Farrell, Professor Rachel Kerr
Moderator: Bronac Ferran
Other time zones: https://www.timeanddate.com
Location: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, 25 Copthall Avenue, London, EC2R 7BP, UK
Directions: https://www.bcs.org/about-us/our-london-office-and-event-venue/

Visit the Moorgate London exhibitions: please email info@computer-arts-society.com for booking details.

About the Talk

In this exciting edition of the Computer Arts Society talks series we are joined by internationally renowned British BioArtist Anna Dumitriu who will discuss her recent project "Manna: Epigenetics, Conflict and Intergenerational Trauma" and other works in conversation with two of her collaborators on that project: Cécile Bourne-Farrell, a London-based independent curator, and Rachel Kerr Professor of War and Society at King's College London.

Dumitriu will talk about her cutting-edge art practice which fuses biology and digital technologies; from epigenetics to bio-inspired underwater robots; interactive installations that model antibiotic resistance to sculptural or textile installations that incorporate DNA; and synthetic biology to pathogenic bacteria.

Together Dumitriu, Bourne-Farrell and Kerr will discuss the background to the "Manna: Epigenetics, Conflict and Intergenerational Trauma", the ideas behind the work, their collaborative process and how the work came to be commissioned for the Science Gallery Bengaluru's current exhibition CALORIE.

Anna Dumitriu

Pioneering British BioArtist Anna Dumitriu works at the intersection of art, science, and technology, to create sculptures, digital installations and textile works. Her work links historical narratives to contemporary science, exploring infectious disease, genomics, antibiotic resistance and synthetic biology. Her works are developed through deep collaborations with researchers often involving hands-on laboratory work.

She exhibits internationally at venues including ZKM, Ars Electronica, Kunstlerhaus Vienna, HeK Basel, the 6th Guangzhou Triennial, BOZAR, The History of Science Museum Oxford, and the Picasso Museum. Her work is held in collections including ZKM, Eden Project, and the Science Museum London. She is a leading influential voice in BioArt, exploring complex issues in science and medicine and their cultural and societal impacts.

Dumitriu holds research fellowships at NIHR Leeds, The Wellcome Sanger Institute, The University of Hertfordshire and Cranfield University. She also holds artist-in residence roles with Modernising Medical Microbiology at the University of Oxford.

https://annadumitriu.co.uk/

Manna: Epigenetics, Conflict and Intergenerational Trauma, Bengaluru India 2025

Cécile Bourne-Farrell

Cécile Bourne-Farrell is a London-based independent curator who worked for the A R C / Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris for eight years and with institutions of higher education in Africa, Asia, and Europe, including King's College London since 2015. Cécile Bourne-Farrell is the curator of visual materials of, 'Mapping Injury', Principal Investigator, Vivienne Jabri, funded by a UKRI Frontier Research Grant (Horizon Europe Guarantee), King's College London, 2023-2027. With Vivienne Jabri, she curated Corinne Silva project 'The Score (You and I Both Know)', The Arcades, Bush House, King's College and 'Traces of War' with Jananne Al-Ani, Baptist Coelho, Shaun Gladwell and Canducco danse Company including veterans and students.

In 2019, she joined Arts Cabinet, London on an advisory capacity, and as Curator, Special Projects, for 'Sugar and its colonial legacy'. She was the 'SUD2017' Triennale curator, Douala, Doual'art, Cameroon, and in 2023, 'A Dobradiça Biennale', Mação, Portugal and 'Seas, Lands & Bodies Crossed', La Traverse, Marseille with Malala Andrialavidrazana, Francis Alÿs, Shivanjani Lal, Louisa Marajo, Tuli Mekondjo, Otobong Nkanga and Jean-Paul Thibeau.

Cecile Bourne-Farrell is an active member of AICA international, AWITA, and CIMAM.

https://www.cecile-bourne-farrell.com/

Rachel Kerr

Rachel Kerr is Professor of War and in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Rachel joined King's in 2003 as a Lecturer to develop the now long-standing War Studies Online programmes, having previously worked in academic publishing for Polity Press. She holds a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds and an MA and PhD in War Studies from the University of London. Rachel's research focuses on post-conflict justice and memory, international criminal justice and Art and Reconciliation. She co-convenes the War Crimes Research Group and the Visual and Embodied Methodologies Network in SSPP.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-rachel-kerr