The Context
Fusion Antibodies has been dedicated since 2001 to the discovery and early development of antibodies to help bring about a positive change in the healthcare industry.
R-Space is a visual arts and crafts space, presenting and commissioning a programme of exhibitions and arts activity based in The Linen Rooms in the heart of Lisburn.
Fusion Antibodies were searching for a unique way to creatively engage with young scientists, whilst also raising their profile and differentiating themselves to their peers and key contacts in other sectors...
The Solution
2020 welcomes a unique connection and new partnership between Fusion Antibodies and R-Space Gallery, leaders on Northern Ireland Linen Biennale.
Funded by Arts & Business NI’s Investment Programme, the innovative project ‘Translating Linen’ will see the DNA make-up of linen interpreted in to musical form. Layered patterns within the DNA code, and the amino acid sequence of key proteins that give the linen plant its uniqueness, will be woven into a musical fabric to echo the history of linen and its role in shaping our society.
Projected outcomes include the composition of an innovative and contemporary new work, which will be archived through musical score, a short film recording, and performances at the NI Science Festival and Linen Biennale Conference, accompanied by a talk about the origins and processes utilised in the project. The partners also hope to develop an educational project delivering workshops and talks about the scientific methods, origins and processes behind the piece.
With 20 years’ research experience in the field as well as a background in music of a socially-focused nature, Dr Anthony O’Kane, Head Of Discovery and Scientific Affairs at Fusion Antibodies, will conduct the scientific research. He will lead in translating the data into musical form, constructing the basis for the musical piece, which will then be workshopped with a producer and session musicians. Producer Dáithí McGibbon will collaborate on the composition and instrumental arrangement of the piece, using his audio engineering skills to overlay the sounds of linen’s industrial history throughout.
Fusion Antibodies is a relatively new company with a young enthusiastic workforce - they are committing to this ground-breaking project primarily to creatively engage their young scientists, whilst forging links with R-Space, the wider Arts scene and with the NI Science Festival.
“I am delighted to be playing a role in Translating Linen, an incredible project uniting the discipline of molecular biology and music. Thanks to the support of Arts and Business NI, we can honour the legacy of the Linen industry, which has played such a role in shaping the industrial and community landscape of Northern Ireland, by applying innovative techniques that, in Fusion Antibodies now form part of the new frontier of business and industry. We hope that this collaboration with the Linen Biennale NI will help trace a roadmap for future partnership between cutting edge science and the arts.”
Dr. O’Kane, Fusion Antibodies
“We are so grateful to Arts & Business for the invaluable support that has resulted in the development of the Translating Linen Project. This is an innovative and exciting undertaking for both the creative and scientific industry in Northern Ireland and represents the merging of both communities in a fashion that will hopefully result in a far-reaching relationship.”
Robert Martin, Director, R-Space
