Maria Hellström Reimer
Professor

Presentation

Maria Hellström Reimer is professor in design in theory and practice.

A broad interest in creativity, knowledge production and societal issues led me to make the move from the field of visual art to the field of design research. Central to my research is the situating of design practice in a wider cultural context of artistic experimentation, societal engagement and conceptual development. My design research is therefore interdisciplinary, critically examining material and social conditions for coexistence while simultaneously focusing on the development of new, sustainable and equitable artifacts, environments and methods. At present, I am coordinating and supervising a number of research projects within the fields of design, art, landscape architecture, and cultural studies, including the project DNA at Play, an artistic research project that explores how genetic information through so-called recreational DNA services is being collected and put into play, and how this affects perceptions of time, space, origin and ethnicity. Alongside my own research, I have been working as a scientific advisor at the Swedish Research Council (2021-2024), with a focus on the development of cross-border and thematic arts-oriented research. I also consider international exchange to be important and I am currently involved with a number of research networks in Europe and beyond. During the spring 2019 I was visiting professor at Cornell University, USA, and since 2014 I am an associate researcher at TEAMed, Université de Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis.

DNA at Play / ADN en jeu – transparency and opacity of recreational genetics DNA at Play is an artistic research project that explores the promises that drive the emerging and highly controversial field of recreational genetics. Through platforms that focus on genealogy, people are enticed through a simple saliva test to pay to give up their DNA and their unique genetic code. The project practically and experimentally scrutinizes the technical conditions, the commercial logic and the aesthetic frameworks behind these services and asks the question of how this transformation of bodily fluids into attractive data streams and speculative narratives affects perceptions of time and space, history and origins, ethnicity and identity.

External project member: Tania Ruiz, Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Paris
Project period: January 1, 2022 – ongoing