TEST ─ Laura Bielau

An artist’s book exploring interdependence, shared needs and the tensions between cooperation and self-interest across human and non-human life.

TEST is a publication by German artist Laura Bielau. In this work, Bielau investigates the interrelatedness of all living beings, the needs shared by humans and animals, and the uneasy balance between cooperation and self-interest. As part of her research, she visited sites devoted to behavioural biology, plant genetics and virology, including a Baltic island where the genetic material of the last male northern white rhinoceros is preserved, a primate research centre where monkeys are used in scientific studies, and an institute for crop and plant genetics where saplings are exposed to artificially harsh conditions in order to develop resistance to climate change. She also visited waste disposal sites and protest camps, while making numerous photographs outdoors, including urban nests and shelters, and the aftermath of summer fires near the A9 motorway in Brandenburg.

The book further turns to the representation of living beings and habitats in literature, advertising and computer games, as well as to their entanglement with political propaganda. In doing so, Bielau brings into view the multiple ways life is observed, regulated, instrumentalised and imaged in contemporary society.

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Title: TEST
Artist: Laura Bielau
Publisher: Spector Books, 2024
Format: Softcover, thread-sewn brochure with gatefold cover
Size: 190 × 250 mm
Pages: 144
Edition: First edition
ISBN: 9783959058421