Biography

Jason Knight is a Montréal based artist working with digital and biologic technologies of the body.

Knight's work explores authority and control structures through diverse media emphasizing social and political criticism. A co-founder of the artist collectives CorpsCellule and Bioteknica which have been exhibited, performed and published internationally. Research work has been undertaken at The Banff Centre for the Arts (2002, 2007) and SymbioticA (2004, 2006).

Exhibitions include: Alfred Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2011), Assembly Gallery (2008), CIANT Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (2008), FOFA Gallery, Montreal (2007), ISEA San Jose, USA (2006), SAT La Société des arts et technologiques, Montreal (2005), FCG The Forest City Gallery London, Canada (2004), BEAP Biennial Electronic Arts Perth Perth, Australia (2004), EMAF The European Media Arts Festival Osnabrück , Germany (2003) amongst others.

Research project

BIOTEKNICA

BIOTEKNICA is a fictitious corporation, which explores notions of reproduction and self/other distinctions in relation to evolving biotechnologies.

BIOTEKNICA projects its viewers into the future, where within a virtual laboratory designer organisms are generated on demand. They are modeled on the Teratoma, an unusual cancerous growth containing multiple tissues like hair, skin, teeth, and vascular systems. BIOTEKNICA both embraces and critiques biotechnology, considering the contradictions and deep underlying complexities that these technologies offer the future of humanity.

Since their first residency in 2004 BIOTEKNICA has adopted a critical participatory methodology bringing their theoretical specimens out of their virtual environment and into the laboratory. Their preliminary investigations involved growing tissue culture prototypes to serve as new representations of the BIOTEKNICA product line. They commenced research with tissue culture protocols in the production of artwork as pioneered by Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr. 

Exhibition

BIOTEKNICA exhibited as a part of BioDifference: the Political Ecology during BEAP2004.

Funding

• 2004 3 month residency funded through HEXAGRAM, Concordia University, Montreal.
• 2006 6 month residency funded through The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
  

Collaborators

• Dr Jennifer Willet
• In 2006, the second residency involved working in collaboration with Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr in the completion of  a new work entitled Teratological Prototypes.
  

Period of research

2004 and 2006