Emilia Tikka is a transdisciplinary designer and researcher, currently a PhD candidate at Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki and an artist in residence in a 2-year EU project Art4med (art meets health and biomedical research), a consortium of 5 partners from 5 EU countries. Former affiliations include: visiting scholar position at the Hermann von Helmholtz Centre for Cultural Techniques of the Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, artist in residence at the laboratories of Max-Delbrück-Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin and Art and Science Research Residency in Japan organized by Bioart Society and hosted by BioClub Tokyo.
Her work explores philosophical dimensions and cultural implications of novel genome editing technology CRISPR engaging with questions of human biomedical enhancement. In this frame her current research and writing focuses on investigating human-nature-technology relations in technoscientific discourse. Her practice combines critical storytelling, lab experiments, and speculative design – aiming to generate alternative modes of knowledge production in technoscientific cultures. Her on-going PhD research project is funded by the Finnish Kone Foundation.
Her art and design works have been exhibited at Ars Electronica in Austria, New York University Arts Centre in United Arab Emirates, Gregg Museum for Art and Design in USA, Imagine Science Film Festival NYC in USA, STATE Studio in Germany, EMMA Museum of Modern Art in Finland and Tekniska Museet in Sweden to mention a few. Her work has been featured in publications such as Nature, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine.