TEST

The starting point for TEST was a colony of ants that Bielau temporarily set up in her studio. In this experimental arrangement, she observed the hierarchical and state-building organisation of the insects, in which the altruistic workers support the queen, who passes on her genes to her offspring. Transferred to contexts outside the studio, her artistic research is concerned with the interconnectedness of all living things. To this end, she explores the common needs of humans and animals as well as the trade-offs between cooperation and self-interest. However, the human urge to control the animal and plant world and tilt the balance of power in their favour remains. Bielau's research is wide-ranging: her photographs were taken at research facilities for behavioural biology, plant genetics and viral diseases. She travelled to the island in the Baltic Sea where the genetic material of the last, recently deceased northern white rhino bull is kept. She photographed a primate centre, where